Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Black Warrior (Black Maria)
- Type: Wooden-hulled bark
- Year Built: 1854
- Builder: Cleveland, Ohio
- Dimensions:
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location:
- Number of Masts: Three-masted
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The vessel known as Black Warrior—sometimes recorded as Black Warrier or Black Maria—was a three-masted wooden bark built in 1854 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Description
The Black Warrior was a wooden-hulled bark, specifically a three-masted square-rigged sailing ship. It was primarily used for transporting various cargo, including railroad iron, wine, shingles, whiskey, apples, stoneware, and general merchandise. The vessel was propelled solely by sails and did not have an engine. Notably, there were no reported fatalities during its abandonment, as the crew managed to leave the vessel safely.
History
On November 6, 1854, while carrying wheat on a Lake Huron crossing from Chicago to Buffalo, Black Warrior lost her foremast in a strong gale. Subsequent details regarding her final voyage are unclear, with different sources indicating abandonment near Sheboygan, loss at Cheboygan, and wreck at Long Point. None of these accounts provide corroborated crew lists or precise coordinates.
Significant Incidents
- November 6, 1854: Lost foremast during a gale while crossing Lake Huron.
- 1855: Abandoned and declared a total loss, with conflicting reports on the location of the incident.
Final Disposition
After the mast failure, the vessel never reached her intended destination. Each location cited (Sheboygan, Cheboygan, Long Point) records her as abandoned and declared a total loss. There are no records of salvage, legal proceedings, or insurance settlements conclusively linked to this incident.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No confirmed wreck site has been documented; there are no rediscoveries, dive logs, or sonar detections. The depth remains unspecified due to the absence of a confirmed wreck location.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”bark-black-warrior-black-maria” title=”References & Links”]
The Black Warrior presents a tangled case of conflicting historical reports. While the vessel apparently succumbed to mast failure and was abandoned in 1855, no authoritative source confirms where she foundered—Sheboygan, Cheboygan, or Long Point. The absence of physical remains or verified archival documentation leaves this wreck opaque in Great Lakes maritime history. Only a cross-regional archival deep-dive may resolve the discrepancies.
Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record
This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Names & Build: The vessel known as Black Warrior—sometimes recorded as Black Warrier or Black Maria—was a three‑masted wooden bark built in 1854 in Cleveland, Ohio (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
- Loss Year: Disappeared in 1855; exact date unrecorded.
- Reported Wreck Locations: Conflicting sources place her loss at:
- Sheboygan, Wisconsin (abandoned and total loss)
- Cheboygan, Michigan (Straits of Mackinac)
- Long Point, Lake Erie
These multiple location claims suggest archival confusion among similarly named vessels or reporting errors (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
Vessel Specifications
- Type: Wooden‑hulled bark (three‑masted square‑rigged sailing ship)
- Cargo: Railroad iron, wine, shingles, whiskey, apples, stoneware, and general merchandise
- Propulsion: Sail only (no engine)
- Fate: No loss of life reported; crew abandoned vessel safely
History & Service
- On November 6, 1854, while carrying wheat on a Lake Huron crossing from Chicago to Buffalo, Black Warrior lost her foremast in a strong gale (wisconsinshipwrecks.org, cdn.gatehousemedia.com).
- Subsequent final voyage details are murky: different secondary sources describe abandonment near Sheboygan, loss at Cheboygan, and wreck at Long Point. None offer corroborated crew lists or precise coordinates.
Final Voyage & Disposition
- After the mast failure, the vessel never reached her intended destination.
- Each location cited (Sheboygan, Cheboygan, Long Point) records her as abandoned and declared a total loss (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
- No salvage, legal proceedings, or insurance settlement records have been conclusively linked to this incident.
Located By & Site Status
- No confirmed wreck site: no documented wreck rediscovery, dive logs, or sonar detection.
- Depth remains unspecified due to absence of confirmed wreck location.
Research Gaps & Next Steps
- The contradictory loss locations require deep archival verification:
- Review contemporaneous newspaper archives in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario circa November 1854.
- Consult shipping registries and maritime casualties listings for Cleveland-built barks.
- Cross-check HCGL casualty and enrollment files for names of master or crew.
- Investigate insurance or port records in Buffalo, Chicago, Sheboygan, Cheboygan, and Long Point.
Conclusion
The Black Warrior presents a tangled case of conflicting historical reports. While the vessel apparently succumbed to mast failure and was abandoned in 1855, no authoritative source confirms where she foundered—Sheboygan, Cheboygan, or Long Point. The absence of physical remains or verified archival documentation leaves this wreck opaque in Great Lakes maritime history. Only a cross-regional archival deep-dive may resolve the discrepancies.
Keywords / Categories
Lake Michigan; bark; sail vessel; 1854 build; cargo ship; abandonment; mast failure; loss; Sheboygan; Cheboygan; Long Point; general cargo; archival ambiguity.
bark-black-warrior-black-maria 1855-08-01 00:31:00