Early Days of the SS Kamloops:
In the early 1920s, a crewman known only as Grandpa was part of the crew aboard the SS Kamloops. This unique freighter was specially designed to navigate the old Welland Canal, connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
The Kamloops primarily transported cargo along the Canadian shoreline, shuttling goods between Montreal and Fort William.
The Mysterious Disappearance:
On the fateful night of December 6, 1927, Lake Superior was engulfed by a ferocious winter storm. The SS Kamloops, along with the steamer ship Quedoc, found themselves battling the relentless waves in the midst of this tempest.
As they pressed forward through the blinding fog, the captain of the Quedoc spotted a dark mass rising from the water. In a desperate attempt to avoid collision with this unseen threat, the Quedoc quickly altered its course and sounded a warning to the Kamloops, shrouded in thick fog.
The Quedoc safely reached Fort William, but the Kamloops vanished. Its last sighting was near the southeast end of Isle Royale, coated in a thick layer of ice.
Search efforts were launched across the Great Lakes, but they yielded no trace of the missing ship. Three weeks after its disappearance, winter weather conditions worsened, and hope dwindled.
Officially, all crew members of the Kamloops were declared lost.
The Haunting Clues:
While the exact cause of the Kamloops’ sinking remains a mystery, unsettling clues began to surface in the spring following its disappearance.
Fishermen on Isle Royale discovered the remains of nine crew members who had managed to escape on a lifeboat.
Some were found huddled near makeshift fire pits, while others had washed ashore.
Those who hadn’t succumbed to the cold had fallen prey to the island’s wolf population.
The Kamloops itself remained elusive, earning the title of one of the “Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes,” as dozens of vessels had mysteriously vanished without a trace.
However, this status changed fifty years later when the Kamloops was discovered at the bottom of Lake Superior, almost perfectly preserved, just off Twelve O’Clock Point on the north coast of Isle Royale.
Incredible Preservation:
Divers who ventured into the depths to explore the ship were astonished by its remarkable preservation. The icy waters of Lake Superior, which rarely rise above freezing at those depths, acted as a natural refrigerator.
Combined with the relatively sparse aquatic life at the lake’s bottom, even clothing and leather shoes stored in crew cabins remained in impeccable condition.
This eerie preservation added an otherworldly dimension to the exploration of the sunken ship.
Grandpa’s Ghost:
The chilling encounters with Grandpa, one of the 13 crew members who never made it ashore, began to emerge as divers continued to explore the Kamloops.
Grandpa, as he came to be known, was spotted by divers in various locations throughout the ship.
Some claimed to see him reclining in one of the crew bunks, observing the divers’ movements. Others reported that he seemed to move about the ship as if it were still afloat, completely oblivious to the fact that it rested at the lake’s bottom.
Perhaps even more unsettling were the accounts of Grandpa physically interacting with divers, reaching out and making contact.
The Corpse of Old Whitey:
What made Grandpa’s presence even more disturbing was the discovery that his body remained perfectly preserved.
The icy waters of Lake Superior had kept his corpse intact for half a century, earning him the nickname “Old Whitey.” As divers explored the ship, they noted that Old Whitey’s body seemed to follow them from the moment they entered until they left.
While some rationalized this as the result of currents, others believed there was something unnatural, even intelligent, about the way Old Whitey moved.
Some divers even claimed to have seen both Grandpa’s ghost and his body during their expeditions, though never in the same room.
A Lonely Ghost:
Despite the initial shock, there was no reason to fear Old Whitey or Grandpa. He never displayed any hostility or aggression. Instead, he seemed genuinely pleased to have company after so many years alone at the bottom of Lake Superior. Even the sight of the preserved corpse, though eerie at first, became a regular part of the diving experience.
The Legacy of Grandpa:
Today, the well-preserved corpse of Grandpa, still floating within the SS Kamloops, predominantly occupies the engine room. Dive logs are filled with accounts of divers “meeting” Grandpa and “shaking hands with Old Whitey.” The National Parks Service recognizes the shipwreck as a cultural treasure, allowing only the most experienced and respectful divers to explore the site.
The mystery of what caused the SS Kamloops to sink and the true identity of Old Whitey, also known as Grandpa, remains unsolved.
Perhaps Grandpa is waiting for someone to uncover a crucial clue about the disaster that would finally grant him peace. Until then, he patiently waits for visitors, relishing their company after decades of solitude at the bottom of Lake Superior.
The SS Kamloops and the ghost of Grandpa serve as a haunting reminder of the enigmatic and unpredictable nature of the Great Lakes.
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