Identification & Site Information

• Name: ROCKET
• Other Names: None reported
• Official Number: 21144
• Date Built and Launched: 1857
• Builder: Peck & Masters, Cleveland, Ohio
• Original Owner: Dean Richmond, Batavia, NY (New York Central Railroad Co.)
• Vessel Type: Propeller-driven Steamer (later converted to a Barge)
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1 (later modified to 2 decks in 1865)
• Power:
• Number of Masts: 1
• Propulsion: Screw (single propeller)
• Engine Type: 15 x 16″ low-pressure oscillating engine with a 33″ cylinder, possibly a direct-acting vertical engine built by Cuyahoga Steam Furnace Co., Cleveland, Ohio.
• Measurements:
• Length: 181.07 ft (55.2 m)
• Beam: 29.2 ft (8.9 m)
• Depth: 12.12 ft (3.7 m)
• Tonnage (Old Style): 611 13/95 tons (later adjusted to 702.47 gross tons in 1865 after modifications)

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Vessel Type

The ROCKET was a wooden-hulled, screw-propelled Steamer, built for freight and passenger service on the Great Lakes. It was part of a series of nearly identical vessels, including the COMET (1857), making it a duplicate design of its sister ships. The wooden arches in its structure reinforced the Hull, making it more durable for heavy cargo and passenger transport.

Originally, the ROCKET was used to run freight routes between Buffalo and Cleveland, but it was later converted into a passenger vessel. Over its 20-year career, the ship underwent multiple modifications, including an expansion to two decks in 1865 before later being converted into a Barge in 1877.

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History

The ROCKET had a long and eventful career, operating across the Great Lakes on routes that included Buffalo, Green Bay, Duluth, and Lake Superior. However, the vessel suffered multiple groundings, ice damage, and engine failures, necessitating numerous repairs and ownership changes.

Key Events in the Vessel’s History:

• 1857, Summer: Launched and operated as a freight Steamer on the Buffalo-Cleveland route.
• 1857-58, Winter: Passenger cabins added, shifting its role to include passenger transport between Buffalo and Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• 1859, July 9: Ashore at North Point, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lake Michigan.
• 1859, December 1: Ashore at Mackinaw, Michigan, in the Straits of Mackinac.
• 1860, March: Overhauled due to previous damages.
• 1860, August: Broke its shaft near Point Aux Barques, Lake Huron; required significant repairs.
• 1862-1865: Multiple large repairs, culminating in a major Rebuild in 1865 that included an increase to two decks and remeasurement to 702.47 gross tons.
• 1867, May 4: Purchased by William G. Fargo, Buffalo, New York.
• 1868, April 29: Acquired by David M. Kelly, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• 1870, May 16: Purchased by Egbert J. Shaylor, Green Bay.
• 1873, June 27: Purchased by H.M. Hanna & Co., Cleveland; operated on Buffalo-Duluth routes.

By the 1870s, the ROCKET was primarily engaged in ore transport, moving iron ore and bulk cargo between Lake Superior and Lake Erie. However, by 1874, the vessel was beginning to show signs of structural decline, leading to its eventual Conversion into a Barge.

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Final Disposition

In November 1877, the ROCKET was scuttled near Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie, to prevent it from going ashore.

• After two decades of continuous service, the vessel was deemed unfit for further operations.
• Salvage operations were attempted over the next two years, but the vessel was never fully recovered.
• On June 30, 1879, the ship’s documents were officially surrendered, and it was Abandoned as unfit for service.

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Located By & Date Found

Nil return. There are no confirmed reports of the ROCKET‘s wreck location near Buffalo, New York. Given that the vessel was intentionally scuttled, parts of its Hull may remain in Lake Erie, but they have not been formally documented or explored.

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NOTMARs & Advisories

Nil return. No navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported in the Buffalo, NY, area.

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Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File
• Cuyahoga Steam Furnace Co., Cleveland, OH – Historical Steam Engine Builders

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Conclusion

The ROCKET was a classic example of a mid-19th-century Great Lakes Propeller Steamer, built for freight and passenger transport during an era of rapid economic expansion in the Great Lakes region. Over its 20-year career, it underwent major modifications, including a transition from a freight Steamer to a passenger vessel, then to a Barge before its final scuttling in 1877.

Like many wooden propeller steamers of its time, the ROCKET suffered numerous groundings, mechanical failures, and collisions, but continued to operate through continuous repairs and ownership changes. Its intentional sinking marked the end of an era, as wooden steamers were rapidly being replaced by iron and steel-hulled ships in the late 19th century.