Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: A.L. Hopkins (Amos L. Hopkins)
- Type: Steam Barge
- Year Built: 1880
- Builder: Morley & Hill Shipyard
- Dimensions: 174.00 ft (53.04 m); 31.50 ft; 12.00 ft
- Registered Tonnage: 639.00
- Location: Lake Superior, east of Michigan Island, Apostle Islands, Wisconsin
- Coordinates: 46° 52.463′ N / 90° 18.499′ W
- Official Number: 105937
- Original Owners: Lawrence Brown
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The A.L. Hopkins, also known as the Amos L. Hopkins, was built in 1880 as a wooden-hulled package freighter. Powered by an engine reportedly salvaged from the wrecked steamer Merchant, the vessel served in general freight before being converted to a bulk freighter in 1910 at the American Ship Building Company in Cleveland, Ohio. The hull was recaulked in 1887.
Description
Originally designed for mixed cargoes, the Hopkins was adapted over time to meet the needs of the growing bulk cargo industry on the Great Lakes. She measured 174 feet in length with a gross tonnage of 639. The vessel’s final configuration was as a lumber carrier.
History
On October 2, 1911, at about 11 p.m., A.L. Hopkins departed Bayfield, Wisconsin, heavily laden with 360,000 feet of lumber and 300,000 feet of lath loaded at the Wachsmuth docks. While bound for market, she encountered heavy seas and a squall that nearly capsized her and left her waterlogged. She lost part of her deck load and a seaman overboard; a lifeboat launched was immediately swept away with only one man aboard. Remarkably, both the man in the lifeboat and the seaman washed overboard were able to reboard the vessel.
Significant Incidents
The crew was rescued on October 3 by the ore carrier Dinkey, when the Hopkins was about 15 miles northeast of Michigan Island. The vessel, partially submerged, drifted around Lake Superior for two weeks before being last sighted on October 17, 1911, by the steamer William F. Corey, about 50 miles east of Michigan Island.
Final Disposition
The A.L. Hopkins eventually sank in Lake Superior east of Michigan Island. Her exact resting depth remains unrecorded.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Estimated location: 46° 52.463′ N / 90° 18.499′ W, Lake Superior, Iron County, Wisconsin. Discovery details not documented.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”a-l-hopkins-us-105937″ title=”References & Links”]
No fatalities recorded. The wreck is presumed to be scattered, and typical Lake Superior offshore weather poses risks for divers.
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