Cape Horn – Lake Michigan Schooner Shipwreck (1910)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Cape Horn
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1857
• Builder: William Barker
• Dimensions: 121.4 ft (37.0 m); Beam: 25.4 ft (7.7 m); Depth of hold: 9.7 ft (3.0 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 267 (original); later 202.93
• Location: Off Iron Street, Milwaukee, Lake Michigan, Milwaukee County, WI
• Coordinates: Latitude 43°00.016′N, Longitude 87°53.141′W
• Official Number: 4345
• Original Owners: A.W. Meeker, Darling & Bell, Thomas Hume, William E. Barrett, Win Schlosser
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

• Type: Centerboard-equipped, two-masted schooner
• Rig: Schooner
• Propulsion: Sail
• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1

Description

• Length: 121.4 ft / 37.0 m
• Beam: 25.4 ft / 7.7 m
• Depth of Hold: 9.7 ft / 3.0 m
• Gross Tonnage: 267 (original); later 202.93
• Net Tonnage: 192
• Cargo (Final Voyage): Loaded with rocks to serve as breakwater

History

• 1857–64: Enrolled in Sandusky, OH; operated by A.W. Meeker.
• 1860–63: Owned by Darling & Bell; operated on Lake Ontario and Erie.
• 1865–71: Enrolled in Detroit and later Chicago; suffered several collisions and was rebuilt.
• 1873: Collided with steamer JAVA; sunk off Long Point, Lake Erie. Salvaged and rebuilt in Buffalo.
• 1876–79: Operated under various captains including Captains Thompson and Brock.
• 1899–1908: Registered under multiple owners in Michigan and Wisconsin, including Thomas Hume (Muskegon) and William E. Barrett (Grand Rapids).
• 1908–10: Final enrollment in Milwaukee District under Win Schlosser.

Significant Incidents

• 1873: Collision with the steamer JAVA leading to sinking and subsequent salvage.
• 1910: Intentionally scuttled as part of erosion control effort.

Final Disposition

• Date: September 16, 1910
• Location: Off Iron Street, Bay View district, Milwaukee, WI
• How Lost: Intentionally scuttled as part of erosion control effort
• Method: The schooner, purchased by the City of Bay View, was filled with rocks and towed by fire tug to approximately 100 ft offshore. She was then sunk to act as a breakwater.
• Aftermath: Local residents boarded the vessel, scavenging wood for winter fuel using axes. A subsequent gale broke apart the weakened hulk. The remains were scattered or removed—no known visible structure remains.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• No visible remains of the wreck are known to exist today due to scavenging and natural deterioration.

Resources & Links

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The Cape Horn exemplifies the multi-decade careers of wooden schooners in the Great Lakes, frequently rebuilt and repurposed. Her final role as an ad hoc breakwater underscores both the practical reuse of aging hulls and early urban attempts at shoreline stabilization in the industrial era. Although no wreckage remains visible today, the scuttling incident in Bay View remains a well-documented local event.