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On April 23, 1907, the 40-foot steam-powered fishing tug Searchlight left the Harbor Beach docks on Lake Huron to retrieve a set of fishing nets that had been sitting in the lake since early spring. It was the tug’s first outing of the season under new ownership. By nightfall, the vessel had vanished, capsized in a violent storm just outside the harbor breakwall. All six crew members were lost.
The tragedy shocked the Harbor Beach community and left behind grieving families, unanswered questions, and one haunting message in a bottle. This was the worst fishing-related disaster in Huron County’s recorded history.
The Fishing Tug Searchlight: A Workhorse of the Fishing Fleet
The Searchlight was a wooden steam tug built in 1899, roughly 40 feet long. In early 1907, the Brown family—well-known commercial fishermen in Harbor Beach—purchased the boat to replace an older vessel. She was refitted and ready to begin her first full season under new ownership that April.
These tugs were the backbone of Michigan’s Great Lakes fishing industry. They set and retrieved long nets that had been placed deep in the lake to catch whitefish, trout, and perch. The work was grueling and dangerous. Weather conditions can change within minutes on open water.
The Crew of Six
The Searchlight was manned by a six-person crew:
- Capt. Walter Brown, of Harbor Beach
- Harvey “Harry” Brown, mate and relative of the captain
- Edward Coveau, an engineer from Bay City
- Merton Perkins, fireman
- John “Jack” Lester, deckhand from Harbor Beach
- Angus Murray, deckhand from Detroit
Each had a personal story. John Lester left behind a wife and six children. Perkins was recently engaged. The Browns were part of a large local fishing family with deep ties to the Thumb’s maritime history.
A Routine Outing Turns Into a Race Against the Weather
The morning of April 23 was clear and calm. Capt. Walter Brown took the Searchlight out to a series of buoys roughly 12 miles off the coast. A small sailing boat, skippered by his brother Albert Brown, accompanied them to assist in hauling up nets that had been left since early spring due to poor weather.
The catch was reportedly good. But around 4 p.m., the wind began to shift. Weather on the Great Lakes can deteriorate rapidly, and signs of an approaching gale were unmistakable. Albert Brown decided to head back to port in his sailboat. Before parting ways, they traded one crewman between the boats. Jack Lester, an experienced sailor, moved onto the Searchlight. In return, a man named James Conner joined Albert’s sailboat for the return trip.
That decision sealed Jack Lester’s fate.
Capsized Within Sight of the Harbor
Around 7 p.m., with wind speeds increasing and waves cresting, the Searchlight began making its way back toward the Harbor Beach breakwater. The local U.S. Life-Saving Service crew watched from shore through binoculars. They reported seeing the tug nearing the harbor entrance.
Suddenly, the vessel disappeared. No distress whistle. No flare. Just gone.
The prevailing theory is that a rogue wave struck the Searchlight broadside, flipping it upside down in a matter of seconds. The tug’s life raft was later recovered still strapped to its cradle. The suddenness of the capsizing left no time for the crew to escape.
A Message from the Deep
In the days after the sinking, the U.S. Life-Saving Service and other local boats searched the area, recovering debris but no bodies. Then came one of the most chilling discoveries in Michigan maritime history.
Local lore tells a tale of a sealed glass bottle washed ashore near White Rock. Inside was a hand-written note, believed to be from Fireman Merton Perkins:
“Searchlight turned turtle off Harbor Beach; all gone down except Jack in cork jacket. M. Perkins”
The note, if authentic, confirmed the crew had little or no warning before the tug capsized. Jack Lester was last seen wearing a cork life vest, but he too was never seen alive again.
Community Reaction and Mourning
Harbor Beach, then a small town of several hundred people, was devastated. The Browns were a well-known local family. The loss of two members, along with four other local men, hit hard.
Memorial services were held. Fundraisers were started to assist the crew’s widows and children. The story was covered in regional newspapers from Port Huron to Detroit and even made national headlines.
Reappearance After Six Years
In November 1913, after the infamous “White Hurricane” struck Lake Huron, fishermen near White Rock discovered debris and the badly decomposed body of a man. The wreckage included a smokestack and cabin timbers bearing markings from the Searchlight.
Newspapers speculated that the storm had stirred the lakebed enough to finally dislodge parts of the sunken fishing tug Searchight. Locals hoped this discovery would offer closure for the families, though the full wreck was never recovered.
Lessons From the Fishing Tug Searchlight
The sinking of the Searchlight remains a somber reminder of how unforgiving the Great Lakes can be. Safety procedures and weather monitoring improved in the years that followed, in part due to local tragedies like this one.
To this day, Harbor Beach fishermen remember the Searchlight and its crew. It remains one of the worst losses of life in the town’s commercial fishing history.
Sources
- Hadland, Harvey. Fishing Vessels of the Great Lakes – Fish Tugs (Roster). 2001.
- “Fishing Smack Sinks in Storm.” Atlanta Georgian and News, 25 Apr. 1907, p. 2.
- Donahue, James. “Terrible Foundering of the Searchlight.” The Mind of James Donahue, 2012.
- “Old Wreck is Recalled.” Port Huron Times Herald, 12 Nov. 1913, p. 9.
- “Harbor Beach, MI: Fishing Tug Searchlight Lost.” Daily Chronicle, 25 Apr. 1907.
