GENERAL FRANZ SIGEL U10217

On July 18, 1903, the schooner GENERAL FRANZ SIGEL, carrying 570 tons of coal from Huron to Sandusky, encountered a severe storm off Monroe, Michigan, resulting in its sinking and total loss. The crew of five onboard was fortunate to be rescued by the United States survey boat GENERAL WILLIAMS. Realizing they couldn’t navigate the storm, the SIGEL attempted to seek shelter in the port of Monroe but went down in 22 feet of water. The crew sought refuge in the rigging and waited until help arrived.

Captain W. J. Curtiss, the owner and captain of the boat, hailed from Beach Park, Ohio. His wife served as the cook, and W. D. McGregor of Sandwich acted as the mate. The identities of the other crew members were not disclosed. Notably, the GENERAL FRANZ SIGEL was an aging vessel, having been built 40 years prior, making it one of the oldest boats on the Great Lakes.

In August 1904, the wreck of the FRANZ SIEGEL posed a threat to navigation near Toledo. Consequently, the government engineers decided to dynamite the wreckage to mitigate the danger it presented.

According to the Merchant Vessel List of 1903, the GENERAL FRANZ SIGEL was a schooner with the U.S. number 10217. It had a gross tonnage of 316 tons and a net tonnage of 301 tons. Constructed in Black River, Ohio, in 1862, the vessel was based in Cleveland, Ohio. It measured 136.8 feet in length, 25.8 feet in beam, and 11.5 feet in depth. The crew consisted of six individuals.

Additional information from the C. Patrick Labadie Great Lakes Ship File reveals that the GENERAL FRANZ SIGEL was initially built as a barkentine by George Washington Jones for Jones & Hall of Cleveland, Ohio. It had a length of 136.8 feet, a beam of 25.8 feet, and a depth of 11.5 feet. The vessel’s final resting place was near the lighthouse in Monroe, Michigan, on Lake Erie, at a depth of 24 feet. The SIGEL foundered during a gale in shallow waters and was eventually abandoned due to its age, lying approximately 1.8 miles southeast of Stoney Point.