History of the name "NYANZA"
In the late 1800's my great grandfather, James McBrier moved from Sewickley, Pennsylvania to Erie, Pennsylvania. He was a lumber merchant at the time and purchased in the early 1890's a fleet of merchant boats to haul coal north and lumber south from the upper Lake Superior region. One of his boats was called "NYANZA" after the lake known as Victoria Nyanza, or as we know it Lake Victoria. This happens to be the third largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Baikal in Mongolia,Russia and Lake Superior in the US.
In Swahili the word Nyanza means "the Lake", referring to Lake Victoria.
It is my understanding that his brother traveled to Africa during that period and came back with some of the names used in the Fleet. The McBrier Fleet had boat names such as Sedona, Nyanza and Uganda.
In 1996 Captain Jim purchased the Hinckley 42SW Hull #42002 (Hull number 2) "Slainte" built in 1982 and renamed it "NYANZA" after his great grandfathers ship.
Nyanza
Original Name:
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Nyanza.
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Other Names:
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Landbo.
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Owner:
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J. McBrier, United States, Pennsylvania, Erie
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Builder:
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F. W. Wheeler & Co., 1890, United States, Michigan, West Bay City
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Engine Builder:
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Frontier Iron Works., 1890
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Year Built:
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1890
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Year Engine Built:
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1890
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Final Disposition:
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Sprung a leak and sank, off Pt. Au Sable, Lake Huron on August 7, 1919. Raised but abandoned.
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Notes:
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Sold Canadian in 1916. Engines removed in 1919.
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Registry Number:
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US. 130462
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Hull Number:
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63
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Vessel Type:
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Bulk freighter
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Length:
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280 ft.
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Width:
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41.4 ft.
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Height:
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20.3 ft.
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Gross Tonnage:
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1888 t.
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Net Tonnage:
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1512 t.
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Materials:
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Wood
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Engine Type:
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Triple expansion
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Piston #1:
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20 in.
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Piston #2:
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32 in.
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Piston #3:
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54 in.
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Stroke Length:
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42 in.
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