Before starting a successful car dealership in 1965, Erie native Louis John Porreco formed the Canadian Holiday Company of Erie in 1962, which would be in bankruptcy by 1964. The SS North American was purchased by the Erie Company in 1963 for cross-lake service between Erie, and Port Burwell, and Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. The North American operated out of the Port of Erie for less than a year, before she was retired in 1964. — Lou Porreco had ambitions to turn the ship into a casino. His ambition was never realized.
On June 26, 1964, the ship’s mortgage was entered in foreclosure proceedings and the North American was attached by the United States Marshal. At the time of the Marshal's seizure of the ship, wharfage was supplied under a contract between the Canadian Holiday Company and the City of Erie Port Commission. This contract was terminated by written notice on August 17, 1964. The North American continued to lie at the dock when the United States Marshal sold the ship to the Security-Peoples Trust Company on October 31, 1964. Sometime shortly after November 1, 1964, Security-Peoples Trust Company begun proceedings to winterize the North American at the dock. Debt was accumulating. The Port commission was maintaining the North American, while docking the ship without receiving any payment for dock fees or services. This continued for three years, when the Port Commission, on April, 21 1967, finally sued Security-Peoples Trust Company in court to recover the debt owed to them.
To absolve the debt, Security-Peoples Trust Company sold the North American at public auction to the Seafarer's International Union in 1967, who purchased her for a training ship at Piney Point, Maryland. On September 4, 1967, the North American left Erie for Piney Point when she sank unexpectedly in the Atlantic Ocean in 400 feet of water, 25 miles northeast of the Nantucket Light. The 280’, 2317 gross ton ship was being towed by the tug Michael McAllister when she sank suddenly on the night of September 13, 1967. Swells from approaching hurricane Doria proved too much for the aging ship and contributed to her loss. No one was injured in the sinking and the tug reached port safely.
Considered the Queen of the Great Lakes, the SS North American was built in Ecorse Michigan, and launched January 16th 1913. Constructed for the Chicago Duluth and Georgian Bay Transit Company, she was the first ship built anywhere exclusively for cruising, her career on the Great Lakes spanned 51 years from 1913 to 1964.
The North American was 280 feet in length, had a 47-foot beam, and drew 17 feet 6 inches. She was equipped with a 2,200 indicated horsepower quadruple expansion steam engine and three coal-burning Scotch boilers. The ship was converted to oil-fired boilers and a second stack were added in 1923.
In July 2006, a research team aboard Quest Marine’s R/V Quest located the North American close to the edge of the continental shelf, approximately 140 miles off the New England coast in 250 feet of water. The Quest Marine’s research team led by Captain Eric Takakjian conducted three days of survey diving operations at the wreck site over the period 15-17 July 2006. Three dive teams of two divers each accomplished photographic and physical measurement documentation of the wreck. The divers included Takakjian, Patrick Rooney, Steven Gatto, Tom Packer, Heather Knowles and David Caldwell. Due to the depth all dive teams breathed custom blended helium based gas mixtures. Decompression was accomplished with the use of multiple oxygen-enriched gases.
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| North American at the Public Dock (1965) |
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| North American at Erie's Public Dock (May 1964) |
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North American Observation Deck.
Photo provided by David S Dockstader. |
