Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: J. & A. Stronach
- Type: Three-masted schooner (wooden, sail-powered)
- Year Built: 1854
- Builder: George Barber, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Dimensions: 109.9 ft (33.5 m) × 23.9 ft (7.3 m) × 7 ft (2.1 m)
- Registered Tonnage: ~143 gross tons
- Location: Off Milwaukee, Lake Michigan
- Coordinates: Not recorded
- Official Number: 12978
- Original Owners: John & Andrew Stronach (original); later multiple including L.E. Merrill (Chicago) and John Saveland (Milwaukee)
- Number of Masts: Three
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The J. & A. Stronach was a three-masted schooner built in 1854 by George Barber of Milwaukee for John and Andrew Stronach of Manistee, Michigan. Intended for the lumber trade, she carried timber from Manistee mills to Milwaukee and beyond.
Description
Measuring 110 feet in length, the vessel was typical of mid-19th century Great Lakes schooners, optimized for bulk cargo and shallow-draft operation. She was later renamed A.B.C.F.M. under the ownership of L.E. Merrill, who repurposed her as both a lumber carrier and symbolic mission vessel.
History
The schooner served the lumber industry for nearly five decades. She supplied much of the timber used in Milwaukee during the Civil War era. Key events include:
- 1854: Launched in Milwaukee for the Stronach brothers’ lumber trade.
- 1855: Capsized in Milwaukee Harbor.
- 1856: Sank after collision with schooner Telegraph off Point Sable; later recovered.
- 1869: Struck by lightning near Port Washington; Captain Hall was temporarily incapacitated.
- 1870: Rebuilt and lengthened at Manitowoc, tonnage adjusted to ~143 GT.
- 1878: Sold at U.S. Marshal auction in Manitowoc after being libeled for debts.
- 1880: Traded for the schooner Annie O. Hanson.
- 1881: Purchased by L.E. Merrill of Chicago and renamed A.B.C.F.M.; sister schooner renamed Z.Y.M.C.A.
- 1884: Wrecked at Gills Pier; raised and repaired in Milwaukee.
- 1885–1899: Operated under Milwaukee ownership, still in lumber trade.
- 1902: Abandoned in Greenfield Avenue Slip, Kinnickinnic River, Milwaukee; subsequently towed and scuttled offshore.
Significant Incidents
No significant incidents resulting in casualties were recorded for the Stronach. Crew lists are incomplete.
Final Disposition
By 1902 the vessel was obsolete, reflecting the decline of wooden schooners. She was abandoned in Milwaukee and intentionally scuttled off the city in May 1902. No wreckage coordinates were recorded. Her fate mirrors many contemporaries whose hulls were discarded offshore.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No diver documentation or archaeological survey has confirmed the remains of the A.B.C.F.M. / J. & A. Stronach. Her wreck site likely lies in sediment offshore Milwaukee.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”a-b-c-f-m-j-a-stronach-us-12978″ title=”References & Links”]
No current Notices to Mariners are associated with the wreck site. The vessel poses no navigational hazard.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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