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SS Leafield

SS Leafield was a Canadian steel-hulled cargo ship built by the Strand Stepway Company in Sunderland, England, in 1892. Originally registered in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, she was sold after about a year to the Algoma Central Steamship Line and brought to Canada, where she operated on the Great Lakes, carrying coal, grain, and iron ore. On the night of 17 August 1912, Leafield was carrying ore to Midland, Ontario, Canada, when she ran aground on a rocky islet in Georgian Bay near Beausoleil Island, Ontario. The incident tore a hole long and wide in her bottom. Salvage and repairs cost $15,000, and the ship was out of service for two months. Leafield was hauling steel rails, bound for Midland, when she sank in deep water in Lake Superior, probably off the Angus Rocks in the Angus Islands, about southeast of Port Arthur, Ontario, on 9 November 1913 during the Great Lakes storm of 1913. Her entire crew of 18 perished. A search found no trace of the ship or crew. As of 2025, Leafield 's wreck has not been located.

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Article summary

SS Leafield was a Canadian steel-hulled cargo ship built by the Strand Stepway Company in Sunderland, England, in 1892. Originally registered in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, she was sold after about a year to the Algoma Central Steamship Line and brought to Canada, where she operated on the Great Lakes, carrying coal, grain, and iron ore. On the night of 17 August 1912, Leafield was carrying ore to Midland, Ontario, Canada, when she ran aground on a rocky islet in Georgian Bay near Beausoleil Island, Ontario. The incident tore a hole long and wide in her bottom. Salvage and repairs cost $15,000, and the ship was out of service for two months. Leafield was hauling steel rails, bound for Midland, when she sank in deep water in Lake Superior, probably off the Angus Rocks in the Angus Islands, about southeast of Port Arthur, Ontario, on 9 November 1913 during the Great Lakes storm of 1913. Her entire crew of 18 perished. A search found no trace of the ship or crew. As of 2025, Leafield 's wreck has not been located.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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