Cavenaugh Wrecking Company

The Cavenaugh Wrecking Company was a New York-based maritime salvage firm active in the late 19th century. In October 1894, the company was commissioned to recover the iron steamship Brunswick, which had sunk off Dunkirk, New York, on December 12, 1881, following a collision with the schooner Carlingford. The Brunswick, built by the Detroit Drydock Co. in Wyandotte, Michigan, was one of the first vessels launched by the company and had been transporting approximately 1,700 tons of cargo to Duluth at the time of the accident. The salvage operation was to be conducted using the tugs Puritan and Stauber. However, records do not confirm the success of this recovery effort.

Information about the Cavenaugh Wrecking Company is limited, and its activities appear to have been focused on maritime salvage operations in the Great Lakes region during the late 19th century. The company’s involvement in the Brunswick salvage operation indicates its role in attempting to recover valuable vessels and cargoes lost in the treacherous waters of the Great Lakes.