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A.R. Colborn US 106071

Explore the history of the A.R. Colborn, a wooden steambarge that served the Great Lakes lumber trade before its abandonment in 1922.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: A.R. Colborn
  • Type: Wooden Steambarge
  • Year Built: 1882
  • Builder: Ralph C. Brittian Shipyard, Saugatuck, MI
  • Dimensions: 129.9 ft (39.6 m) x 27.7 ft (8.4 m) x 9.5 ft (2.9 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: 275.59 gross; 207.39 net
  • Location: Unknown; registry struck 1922
  • Coordinates: Unknown
  • Official Number: 106071
  • Original Owners: Ralph C. Brittian & A.R. Colborn (original), later multiple owners
  • Number of Masts: 1

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The A.R. Colborn was a wooden-hulled steambarge launched in 1882 for service in the Lake Michigan lumber trade. Built at Saugatuck, Michigan, by Ralph C. Brittian Shipyard with master carpenter James N. Elliot, she was designed to carry up to 300,000 feet of lumber between Muskegon and Michigan City. Her steeple compound engine, supplied by Henry Bloecker & Co., was typical of Great Lakes steambarges of the era.

Description

The A.R. Colborn was a wooden-hulled steambarge launched in 1882 for service in the Lake Michigan lumber trade. Built at Saugatuck, Michigan, by Ralph C. Brittian Shipyard with master carpenter James N. Elliot, she was designed to carry up to 300,000 feet of lumber between Muskegon and Michigan City. Her steeple compound engine, supplied by Henry Bloecker & Co., was typical of Great Lakes steambarges of the era.

History

Launched April 18, 1882, the A.R. Colborn quickly entered service in the lumber trade. On September 8, 1882, she was burned off South Haven, MI, but was rebuilt at Saugatuck and returned to work. Re-rigged with an additional mast in 1883, she endured numerous incidents throughout her career, including strandings, boiler replacements, rebuilds, and collisions.

Ownership changed hands multiple times: Theodore Lutz (1888), George G. Oliver (1890), Marine Navigation Co. (1902), John M. Campbell (1910), and finally Douglass Transportation Co. (1910). The vessel was rebuilt in 1904 and collided with and was sunk by the propellers C.A. Black and Lillie the same year, later raised and repaired. After decades of service, the A.R. Colborn was abandoned in 1922, her documents surrendered.

Significant Incidents

  • Burned off South Haven, MI, on September 8, 1882, and subsequently rebuilt.
  • Re-rigged with an additional mast in 1883.
  • Numerous incidents including strandings, boiler replacements, rebuilds, and collisions throughout her career.
  • Collided with and was sunk by the propellers C.A. Black and Lillie in 1904, later raised and repaired.

Final Disposition

On April 28, 1922, the A.R. Colborn was officially abandoned. She had survived forty years of heavy use in the lumber trade, numerous groundings and rebuilds, but by the early 1920s, she was outdated compared to steel-hulled vessels. Her registry was struck, and her ultimate fate is listed as abandonment.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Condition: Unknown, presumed dismantled or scuttled.
Accessibility: Not applicable.

Resources & Links

The A.R. Colborn represents the hard-working steambarges of the Great Lakes lumber trade. Surviving fire, groundings, collisions, and multiple rebuilds, she served for four decades before being retired and abandoned in 1922. Her long career underscores the resilience of wooden steamers during a time of industrial growth and transition to steel.