Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Bessie Boalt
- Type: Wooden Schooner
- Year Built: 1868
- Builder: Charles Griswold (C.G.) Boalt
- Dimensions: Length 103 ft (31.4 m); Beam 26.5 ft (8.1 m); Depth of hold 8.6 ft (2.6 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 173 tons
- Location: Off Two Rivers, Manitowoc County, Lake Michigan
- Coordinates: N 44° 08.723′, W 87° 32.982′ (approximate wreck/grave site)
- Official Number: 2584
- Original Owners: C.G. Boalt; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Number of Masts: Two-masted schooner
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Type: Wooden-hulled schooner
Description
The Bessie Boalt was a two-masted wooden schooner, primarily used for transporting bulk cargo on the Great Lakes. At the time of her loss, she was carrying cordwood.
History
Entered service in 1868, the Bessie Boalt had a history of incidents, including a wreck in October 1872 at St. Joseph, Michigan, from which she was salvaged and repaired. She faced further challenges, including being driven ashore in a gale in November 1877 at Frankfort, Michigan, but was refloated and returned to service. Her last enrollment was surrendered on October 1, 1884, marked as ‘Vessel Total Loss.’
Significant Incidents
- October 1872: Wrecked at St. Joseph, Michigan; salvaged and repaired by 1873.
- November 6, 1877: Driven ashore in gale at Frankfort, Michigan; refloated and returned to service.
- Multiple incidents reflect vulnerability of small schooners to heavy weather and leakage as they aged.
Final Disposition
On September 21, 1884, the Bessie Boalt departed Leland, Michigan for Milwaukee with a load of cordwood. During the crossing, she sprang a leak and became waterlogged off Two Rivers. The crew abandoned ship safely, and over the following days, the vessel capsized and resisted righting attempts. On September 25, a tug towed the wreck toward shore and beached her in shallow water. By October 4, the vessel broke apart, and all cargo and valuable fittings were salvaged.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The original grounding site is approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) northeast of the Two Rivers U.S. Lifesaving Station. The wreck went to pieces in the surf, and today no significant structural remains are known. The modern site is likely a shallow debris scatter, potentially buried or dispersed. There is no current hazard listing, and the shallow water site is not included in Sanctuary wreck inventories.
Resources & Links
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The Bessie Boalt exemplifies the final era of small, wooden, sail-powered schooners transporting fuel wood on Lake Michigan. Despite multiple wrecks and recoveries, the vessel succumbed to structural failure and waterlogging in 1884. Total loss in shallow water enabled complete cargo and hardware salvage, leaving no intact dive target today. Historically, her repeated misfortunes provide insight into 19th-century small-tonnage bulk transport and the eventual obsolescence of wooden schooners on the Great Lakes.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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