The Berlin was a three-masted wooden schooner built in 1854 by S. Ruggles in Milan, Ohio. It had a length of 112 feet, a beam of 25 feet, and a depth of 11 feet. The vessel had a tonnage of 270 under the old measurement system.
The Berlin was initially owned by Thomas Hamilton of Milan, Ohio, and was enrolled in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1854. Over the years, it experienced various incidents and changes in ownership. In 1858, the vessel ran aground in the Detroit River, and in April 1861, it capsized in a squall in the Straits of Mackinac. However, the crew was rescued by the tug LEVIATHAN in the latter incident.
In October 1861, the Berlin was involved in a collision with the schooner David Todd in Buffalo Harbor. The vessel underwent repairs in 1865 and was subsequently enrolled in Cleveland. Ownership transferred to John Gerlach of Cleveland, and it was then enrolled in Dunkirk, New York, in 1866. In 1868, the Berlin underwent remeasurement and was enrolled in Buffalo.
On November 8, 1877, tragedy struck when the Berlin was wrecked near Burnt Cabin Point, close to Pointe aux Barques on Lake Huron. The vessel was driven ashore and broken up in a storm. It was carrying limestone at the time of the incident. Four out of the six crew members were lost, including the captain, cook, and a deckhand who were washed overboard. The captain’s son died of exposure while lashed to the rigging. Only two crew members, Martin Oleson and Charles Hanson, both from Buffalo, survived and were rescued after clinging to portions of the wreck overnight.
The Berlin’s final location was near Burnt Cabin Point, and it was lost due to stormy conditions. The vessel had a homeport in Buffalo, New York, and was under the command of Captain A.M. Johnson. The cargo of limestone and the majority of the ship were lost in the wreck.
The Berlin had a significant history of incidents, including grounding, collisions, and capsizing, before meeting its final fate in the treacherous storm of November 1877.
