Other Names
- J.B. LOZEN
History
The RICHARD BURNS, originally built as the J.B. Lozen, was a wooden schooner-barge that was constructed in 1890 by William Dulac in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. It had an official number of 76868 and measured 178 feet in length, 33 feet in width, and 12 feet in depth. The vessel had a gross tonnage of 565 tons and a net tonnage of 538 tons.
Throughout its history, the Richard Burns (formerly J.B. Lozen) served in various capacities and was towed by different steamers. It was initially owned by William Dulac and later underwent a name change to Richard Burns in 1920.
On November 4, 1921, while being towed by the propeller vessel William A. Hazard and carrying a cargo of coal, the Richard Burns encountered a hull failure and began to leak while traversing the St. Clair Flats on Lake St. Clair. The vessel eventually foundered and sank. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties.
The cargo of coal was later recovered, and in May 1922, the hulk of the Richard Burns was removed from the St. Clair River.
Prior to its sinking, the Richard Burns had a history of being towed by several different steamers, including the Fred McBrier, Mark Hopkins, Norwalk, Charles A. Street, Rhoda Emily, and Helen. It was involved in the coal and lumber trade and had been a part of the Great Lakes shipping industry for several decades.
No further information is available regarding the specific circumstances leading to the hull failure or the subsequent fate of the vessel.
