History #
The Wm. BUCKLEY, also known as Wm. Buckly, was a wooden schooner that was built in 1834 in Point Peninsula, New York. It had an official number of none and measured 112 tons. The vessel had two masts and was primarily used for transporting coal.
On November 25, 1854, the Wm. Buckley met its fate at the mouth of Cleveland Harbor in Lake Erie. While outbound for Gravelly Bay, Ontario, the schooner veered to avoid a collision with the steamer May Queen. In the process, it struck a spile near the East Pier and foundered in deep water about three-quarters of a mile offshore. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, and the crew was rescued by boats from the shore.
After sinking, the masts of the Wm. Buckley remained partially above the water, leading to initial hopes that the vessel could be salvaged. However, there is no record of any salvage efforts or the ship’s recovery after the sinking.
Prior to this incident, the Wm. Buckley had encountered other mishaps. On April 4, 1850, it went ashore at Sandytown near Buffalo, New York. Additionally, on April 4, 1851, the schooner attempted to make the harbor but broached to and fell off outside the Erie Basin pier. It later went ashore at Sandytown during a gale.
The Wm. Buckley was based out of Conneaut, Ohio, and was under the command of Captain Neil Buckley at the time of its sinking.
