The Last Laker, Finding a Wreck Lost in the Great Lakes' Deadliest Storm

by Frederick Stonehouse

In 1913, the storm known as the "White Hurricane" caused the greatest loss of life and vessels on the Great Lakes to date. The SS Henry B. Smith sank into Lake Superior without a trace and thus spent decades as a veritable Holy Grail for wreck divers. Stonehouse illuminates that terrible storm, the mysterious disappearance, the daunting search and eventual discovery of the century-lost wreck. Explore for yourself the fascinating history of the "Hurricane" and the ships that were on the lakes that fateful night.

Genres: History

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2015

About the author

Frederick Stonehouse has authored over thirty books on maritime history, many of them focusing on the Great Lakes and contributed to several others. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Great Lakes Lighthouse Tales are regional best sellers. Wreck Ashore, the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes, won a national publishing award and is the predominant work on the subject. Another book, Haunted Lakes, Great Lakes Maritime Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents, has opened an entirely new genre in Great Lakes study. His book, Final Voyage, is the first Great Lakes shipwreck book for children.

He has been a consultant for both the U.S. National Park Service and Parks Canada and has been an "on-air" expert for National Geographic, History Channel and Fox Family, as well as many regional media productions. Awards for contributions to Great Lakes maritime history have been received from Underwater Canada, Our World Underwater, Marquette Maritime Museum and Marquette County Historical Society. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Association For Great Lakes Maritime History Award for Historic Interpretation. The Award is presented annually in recognition of an individual making a major contribution over many years to the interpretation of Great Lakes maritime history in furtherance of the goals of the Association. In addition he was named the Marine Historical Society of Detroit’s “2007 Historian of the Year.” The award is the result of election by past MHSD Historians and recognizes persons who have actively contributed to the study of Great Lakes history. He holds a Master of Arts degree in History from Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan.

Reviews

[Melisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! I truly enjoy a detailed and readable explanation about the lives of lost ships, what happened to them and their crews, and what became of them. The finding and exploration of shipwrecks is a fascinating subject. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about maritime history.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I've read a number of books that covered portions or particular ships that foundered during the White Hurricane of 1913, this one did them all one better and included lots of data and details that the others did not. Kudos to Mr. Stonehouse for writing this despite originally thinking it wasn't necessary. Anyone into Great Lakes Shipping books should read this one. I was taken by it so much I read it in one day.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. But a bit technical

[Anne Nerison · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is much to like about The Last Laker: Finding a Wreck Lost in the Great Lakes' Deadliest Storm, I am disappointed by how little the book focuses on actually finding the wreck of the Henry B. Smith. The search and methodology gets one chapter out of nine, a measly 12 pages out of 196. If you're looking for a book focusing the 1913 "White Hurricane" that claimed so many ships and lives, or wondering how some ships survived the deadly storm and others didn't, this book could be for you--that information is very well done and I found it very interesting. If you'd like more on the team that found the wreck and how, and the aftereffects of this great find, I would recommend some supplementary materials. To be fair, a good amount of this book did focus on the Smith and vessels like her, exploring possible reasons for her sinking and explaining a bit of the mystery behind not being able to pinpoint her final resting place for so long. But I can't help but feel the book's subtitle is somewhat misleading. nor can I help but feel a little disappointed.