Three Bells Identification & Site Information

• Other Names: None
• Official No.: 24643
• Type at Loss: Schooner, Wood, 2-mast
• Build Info: 1854, F.N. Jones, Buffalo
• Specs: Length: 123 feet (37.5 meters) Beam: 26 feet (7.9 meters) Depth: 10 feet (3.0 meters)
• Gross Tonnage: 197 tons (178.8 metric tonnes)
• Net Tonnage: 187 tons (169.5 metric tonnes)
• Date of Loss: December 1, 1884
• Place of Loss: Good Harbour, Michigan
• Loss of Life: None of 5 crew members
• Carrying: Oak Timbers

History and Description

The THREE BELLS was a wooden two-masted Schooner, built in 1854 by F.N. Jones in Buffalo, New York. Measuring 123 feet in length and weighing 197 tons, the vessel was used for transporting cargo, including lumber and timbers, across the Great Lakes. The THREE BELLS was well-suited to the demands of the time, with a large cargo capacity and a sturdy construction typical of 19th-century Great Lakes schooners. At the time of her loss, the THREE BELLS was carrying a cargo of oak timbers. The Schooner was in a storm on December 1, 1884, when the weather conditions worsened, causing the vessel to sink in the waters off Good Harbour, Michigan, along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Final Disposition

Despite the severity of the storm, none of the five crew members aboard the THREE BELLS were lost. The vessel’s wreckage was later found, with some of the debris recovered. These recovered pieces of wreckage were eventually preserved and are now on display at a restaurant in Northport, Michigan. This serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by Great Lakes vessels during the stormy months.

Interestingly, while this particular THREE BELLS sank in 1884, a Barge named THREE BELLS was also reported lost on Lake Michigan in 1869, but this should not be confused with the Schooner of the same name. Furthermore, there was another vessel of the same name built in Racine, Wisconsin, in the same year, but it is not connected to this particular wreck.

Sources & References

• Maritime Vessel Database (MV)
• Polk Shipping Records
• Lakeshore Maritime Database (LMDC)
• Shipwreck Historical Society (SB, NB)
• Historical Great Lakes (HGL, RSL)
• Michigan Shipwreck Database (MDWL, BB)

Conclusion

The THREE BELLS Schooner’s wreck in Good Harbour in 1884 represents another example of how sudden storms on the Great Lakes could lead to the loss of even well-maintained vessels. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and some of the wreckage of this historic vessel is preserved as a unique connection to the maritime past of the region. The THREE BELLS continues to be part of the area’s rich shipwreck history, with physical remnants on display for those interested in the region’s maritime heritage.