SS Lafayette
 |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Lafayette |
| Operator | Pittsburgh Steamship Company |
| Port of registry |  United States |
| Builder | American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio |
| Yard number | 00301 |
| Completed | 1900 |
| In service | 1900 |
| Identification | U.S Registry #141657 |
| Fate | Broke up in the 1905 Mataafa Storm on 28 November 1905 |
| Status | Wrecked |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Bulk Freighter |
| Tonnage | 5113 gross 3827 net |
| Length | 454 ft (138 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Height | 28.48 ft (8.68 m) |
| Installed power | 2 x Scotch marine boilers |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion steam engine |
| Crew | 29 |
Lafayette was a 454-foot (138 m) long Great Lakes bulk freighter that broke in two in the Mataafa Storm of 1905 near Encampment Island, Two Harbors, Minnesota.
Lafayette was sailing with her barge Manilla which crashed into her when she ran ashore. The waves caused the ship to break in two, the stern stayed on the rocks, while the bow was pounded to pieces by the waters of Lake Superior. Only one life was lost. The ship was declared a total loss (the cost of the ship was about $300,000). The stern of Lafayette was used in 1909 to build the steamer J.S. Ashley.