HISTORY
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
Contracted in 1933 as part of the Missouri River Improvement plan, the William S. Mitchell was built by the Marietta Manufacturing Company in Point Pleasant, West Virginia for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its sister ship, the William M. Black was constructed later but based on the same base blueprint... READ MORE
Massacre on the mitchell
The Story of the USS Nightmare II
On a foggy night as most of the crew slept, the night watchman was making his rounds. Strange sounds were floating through the mist, strange even for the Mitchell. Growing ever more concerned as the sounds grew more intense, he thought about alerting the Captain, who was below in what he called Pier 51 - a part of the ship where most crew members were not allowed. But he also knew that he must not disturb the Captain for fear of being thrown in the brig, or worse, into the boiler pit from which he might never return. His hesitation probably cost him his life... READ MORE
THE WILLIAM S. MITCHELL STORY
After transforming the U.S. Wake Robin into one of America’s premier haunted riverboats, the producers set out to find a boat suitable for the next generation haunted riverboat. What they found was the William S. Mitchell, an Army Corps of Engineers’ steam powered dredge. The new owners were looking for a steamboat to house the new USS Nightmare II. What they got was a steamboat filled with angry spirits; a vessel with a history of tragedies resulting in over 112 crewmember deaths. Because of a curse like service, surviving crewmembers would give the vessel the nickname “Death Dredge” as service on her would very often end in death... READ MORE
Click HERE to see the actual application to have the William S. Mitchell added to the National Register of Historic Places.
