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Anna C. Minch
N 43° 45.784' The Anna C. Minch was a steel steamer built 1903 by the American Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio. She was 380 long and 50 feet in width boasting a capacity of 2,880 tons. The vessel was owned by the Western Navigation Co., Ltd. of Fort William, Ontario, Canada when she was lost during the Armistice Day storm on November 11, 1940 along with the William B. Davock and the Novadoc. Some theories say the Minch collided with the William B. Davock, which would certainly explain why the two sank so close to each other, but evidence suggests she simply was overwhelmed by the storm. The wreckage is spread over a large area. The vessel is in 2 pieces and there are alternate reports as to her location. All 24 lives members of her crew were lost when the ship sank about 1.5 miles south of Pentwater, Michigan. The following is the text from a Michigan Historical marker in Pentwater: "The most disastrous day in the history of Lake Michigan shipping was Armistice (now Veterans') Day, November 11, 1940. With seventy-five-mile-per-hour winds and twenty-foot waves, a raging storm destroyed three ships and claimed the lives of fifty-nine seamen. Two freighters sank with all hands lost, and a third, the Novadoc, ran aground with the loss of two crew members. Bodies washed ashore throughout the day. As night fell, a heavy snow storm arrived. Rescue efforts by the Coast Guard and local citizens continued for three days after the storm. Three Pentwater fishermen were later recognized by the local community and the Canadian government for their bravery in rescuing seventeen sailors from the Novadoc. " MSRA is partially funded through a grant from
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