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

• Vessel Name: CAPE HORN
• Official Number: 4345
• Year Built: 1857
• Built at: Huron, Ohio, USA
• Builder: William Barker
• Final Coordinates: Latitude 43°00.016′N, Longitude 87°53.141′W
• Final Site: Off Iron Street, Milwaukee, Lake Michigan, Milwaukee County, WI
• Current Status: Destroyed by storm and scavenging; remains presumed lost or removed

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

Operational History

• 1857–64: Enrolled in Sandusky, OH; operated by A.W. Meeker.
• 1860–1863: 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.
• 1876–1879: 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).
• 1908–1910: Final enrollment in Milwaukee District under Win Schlosser.

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.

Notmars & Advisories

• None noted; the scuttling was deliberate and within city jurisdiction at the time.

Resources & Links

• Wisconsin Shipwrecks – Cape Horn
• Historic Milwaukee Fire Tug Use
• Lake Michigan Shipwreck Listings
• Great Lakes Vessel Enrollment – HCGL Entry for Cape Horn

Conclusion

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.

Keywords & Categories

Region: Milwaukee, Lake Michigan
Vessel Type: Wooden Schooner, Breakwater Hulk
Cause of Loss: Deliberate Scuttling
Material: Wood
Period: 19th–20th Century Transition
Final Use: Shore Erosion Control
Dive Difficulty: N/A – site lost

In terms of its registration, the CAPE HORN was initially enrolled in Sandusky, Ohio, from 1857 to 1864. It was then enrolled in Detroit, Michigan, in 1864, and later in Chicago, Illinois, from 1865 to 1866. The schooner underwent large repairs in 1871 and was rebuilt in Buffalo, New York, in July 1873 after the collision. It continued to be used for several more years under different owners before being abandoned in 1910. – Milwaukie? cape-horn-1857 1873-05-09 07:49:00