Identification & Site Information

• Vessel Name: TEMPLETON (possible earlier name unknown)
• Other Names: Unknown (may have had a previous name)
• Official Number: Unknown
• Type at Loss: Possibly a Steamer (unconfirmed)
• Date Lost: 1893
• Cause: Storm (specific details unknown)
• Place of Loss: North side of South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan (near the later wreck of the MORAZÁN)
• Cargo:
  • 350 barrels of whiskey
  • Mixed merchandise
  • Allegedly large amounts of cash
• Loss of Life: Unknown

Vessel Type

The TEMPLETON is believed to have been a Steamer, though this remains speculative due to the lack of official records. Considering the period (1893) and the nature of its cargo, it could have been a small package freighter or a merchant vessel engaged in coastal or inter-lake trade, unregistered or operating under a different name.

Description

Details regarding the TEMPLETON’s construction, dimensions, and machinery are currently unknown. The vessel is not in known maritime registries, including the 1884 Merchant Vessels of the United States (MVUS), which suggests it may have operated under a different name prior to its loss or was a foreign vessel.

Given the era, if it was a Steamer, it featured a wooden Hull with either screw or sidewheel propulsion and would have been designed for the transportation of bulk goods and general merchandise. Its cargo of 350 barrels of whiskey suggests it was engaged in high-value trade, operating along routes between Chicago, Milwaukee, and smaller port towns along Lake Michigan.

History

Very little is known about the TEMPLETON’s operational history. The absence of detailed records implies that it may have been a lesser-known commercial freighter, operating outside the major shipping lines of the Great Lakes or registered under a foreign flag.

The vessel’s association with valuable cargo—including whiskey and allegedly cash—has fueled local legends, particularly around South Manitou Island, an area historically known for shipwrecks due to its proximity to critical shipping lanes and treacherous shoals.

Final Disposition

In 1893, the TEMPLETON met its end during an unspecified storm on Lake Michigan, wrecking along the northern shoreline of South Manitou Island, near where the MORAZÁN would be lost decades later. While exact circumstances are unclear, the severe weather common in this region played a key role.

The vessel’s remains have never been conclusively identified, though numerous reports of whiskey barrels washing ashore were recorded following the wreck, sparking local interest. Stories also circulated about the loss of large amounts of cash, though these claims remain speculative and unverified.

It’s possible that the ship was salvaged shortly after its loss, or that what remains today lies buried under shifting sands or submerged near the island’s hazardous shoals.

Located By & Date Found

• Status: Wreck remains undiscovered or unidentified
• Potential Location: North side of South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan
• Proximity: Near the wreck site of the MORAZÁN
• Coordinates: Not available

Given the island’s history as a graveyard for ships, the TEMPLETON may lie within reach of modern sonar surveys or diving expeditions, though no confirmed identification has been made.

NOTMARs & Advisories

• Obstructions: None reported in current navigational charts specific to this wreck
• Advisories: Caution is advised for recreational divers exploring the wrecks around South Manitou Island, as underwater conditions can be hazardous due to shifting sands, strong currents, and debris from multiple wreck sites

Resources & Links

• Great Lakes Maritime History Project
• Great Lakes Shipwrecks
• David Swayze’s Shipwreck File
• NOAA Shipwreck Database
• South Manitou Island Shipwreck Sites – National Park Service

Conclusion

The mystery of the TEMPLETON remains unsolved, its story intertwined with the rich maritime lore of South Manitou Island—a notorious stretch of Lake Michigan known as a “ship trap” due to its treacherous shoals and sudden storms. Despite the vessel’s alleged cargo of whiskey and cash, official documentation is sparse, suggesting it may have been a renamed vessel, a foreign freighter, or a locally operated ship not fully registered.

Legends of whiskey barrels washing ashore after the wreck continue to fuel local interest, but until modern underwater exploration reveals more, the fate of the TEMPLETON and the full details of her final voyage remain part of Lake Michigan’s enduring maritime mysteries.