Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Ann Maria (also recorded as Anna Maria, Annie Maria)
- Type: Wooden schooner (three-masted)
- Year Built: 1864
- Builder: Peter White, Conneaut, Ohio
- Dimensions: 131.2 ft (39.96 m) × 26.3 ft (8.02 m); Depth of hold: 11.3 ft (3.44 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 256 gross tons / 243 net tons
- Depth at Wreck Site: 3.5 m / 12 ft
- Location: South Pier, Kincardine Harbour, Ontario
- Coordinates: Approx. 44° 10′ N, 81° 38′ W
- Official Number: U.S. 387
- Original Owners: Various; registry lists Port Huron, MI (Marshall Capron ownership 1871–1879)
- Number of Masts: Three
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Ann Maria was a wooden schooner of typical Great Lakes design in the mid-19th century, with three masts, a deep hold for bulk cargo, and 256 gross tons capacity. Built in 1864 at Conneaut, Ohio, she operated for nearly forty years in coal and lumber transport across the Great Lakes. Earlier in her career she survived a grounding in 1892 off Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where she lost her bowsprit, jibboom, and foremast in a gale but was repaired and returned to service.
Description
The Ann Maria was a wooden schooner of typical Great Lakes design in the mid-19th century, with three masts, a deep hold for bulk cargo, and 256 gross tons capacity. Built in 1864 at Conneaut, Ohio, she operated for nearly forty years in coal and lumber transport across the Great Lakes. Earlier in her career she survived a grounding in 1892 off Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where she lost her bowsprit, jibboom, and foremast in a gale but was repaired and returned to service.
History
The schooner was constructed in 1864 by Peter White at Conneaut, Ohio, and entered the U.S. registry at Port Huron, Michigan. Between 1871 and 1879 she was owned by Marshall Capron, her original builder and a prominent figure in Conneaut shipbuilding. She routinely carried coal and lumber between Cleveland, Alpena, and Lake Huron ports.
On her final voyage in October 1902, she departed Cleveland carrying coal consigned to the Kincardine waterworks. As a westerly gale intensified through the evening of 7 October 1902, she attempted to reach shelter at Kincardine. Around 10 p.m. cries were heard near the harbour, and townspeople spotted the Ann Maria hard aground at the South Pier, with heavy seas breaking over her.
Significant Incidents
- A lifeboat with four local rescuers—John McGaw Jr., Walter McGaw, Thomas McGaw Sr., and William Ferguson—reached the vessel and managed to load all six crew aboard. As they prepared to return to shore, a massive wave capsized the rescue boat, throwing all into the storm.
- Two sailors (William Pemberton and George Schryer, both of Alpena) and two townsmen managed to regain the schooner, but five drowned: Capt. Alexander Gordon (Port Dover), Mrs. Kennedy (cook, Alpena), Steen Ryan (sailor, Alpena), Perry Bond (sailor, Marine City), and rescuer William Ferguson (Kincardine).
- Survivors clung to the wreck until 2 a.m. when the gale subsided enough for them to be rescued.
Final Disposition
The wreck was declared a total loss, breaking apart in the surf. Portions of her keel and timbers remain today, visible at Kincardine’s Station Beach.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The wreck was visible immediately after grounding in October 1902. Today fragments of her hull timbers are exposed in the shallows of Station Beach, accessible to shore visitors.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”ann-maria-anna-maria-annie-maria-us-387″ title=”References & Links” show_ref_button=”yes”]
Access to the wreck is available via shore dive or snorkel from Station Beach, Kincardine. Divers are encouraged to practice ethical diving by leaving only bubbles and taking only memories. The site is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act, and removal of wreckage is prohibited.
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