The BANNER was a wooden schooner-barge that was originally built as a brig named BANNER in 1847 by Lent in Conneaut, Ohio. It had an official number of 2155 and had a gross tonnage of 288.84 tons and a net tonnage of 274.40 tons. The vessel measured 140 feet in length, 28 feet in width, and had a depth of 10.4 feet.
The BANNER encountered various incidents throughout its history. In 1851, as the BANNER Brig, it was dismasted off Presqu’Isle in Lake Huron on September 28 and was towed to Detroit for repairs. In 1868, it ran ashore. The vessel underwent major repairs in 1859, 1869, 1876, and 1882.
On November 8, 1888, the BANNER, now operating as a schooner-barge, met its final fate. While carrying a cargo of lath and shingles, it was caught in a gale and driven onto a reef near Fish Point (Point Au Sable) close to Oscoda, Michigan, on Lake Huron. The crew managed to escape before the vessel was pushed into deeper water, where it sank. Fortunately, there was no loss of life in the incident. The crew spent the night lashed to the rigging until local townspeople successfully rescued them using a small yawl. At the time of its loss, the BANNER was owned by its master, Captain Webb, from Mt. Clemens.
The BANNER had undergone conversions during its lifetime. It was converted to a three-masted schooner in 1869-1870 and likely converted into a barge in 1876.
