Comet- Sidewheeler

3D Model

The Comet was built in 1848 as a twin paddle wheel steamer with two walking beam steam engines. It sank from a boiler explosion in 1851 killing eight persons. The hull was salvaged and rebuilt then renamed Mayflower in 1854 then renamed back to Comet in 1860. On its first voyage of the season May 1861 in strong winds, it collided with the schooner Exchange. Both vessels tried to stay close but the Exchange drifted away in the wind. All passengers and crew abandoned ship in the lifeboats. Two crew were killed in the process. The rest landed on Simcoe Island. Today it sits upright in 90 ft of water with two intact walking beam steam engines, boilers, and paddle wheels. Cabins and decks have collapsed but it is one of three of the Great Lakes best examples of a sidewheel steamer. The model was shot as a team photogrammetry effort by Durrell and Kayla Martin, Matt Charlesworth and Ken Merryman and was built from 6,507 images of various resolutions.