The SS Sylvania was a 572-foot (174 m) (Originally 524-foot (160 m) long) Great Lakes freighter that had a long 79-year career on the Great Lakes. Sylvania was built by the West Bay City Shipbuilding Company of West Bay City, Michigan as hull #613. She was built for the Duluth Steamship Company of Duluth, Minnesota. She had six accidents in her career, the first one occurred on June 12, 1905 when Sylvania collided with the steamer of Whitefish Point, Lake Superior because of confused passing signals.