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

• Build & Registry: Built in 1852 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by William Wallace Bates and his father Stephen Bates (Bates & Son), U.S. Registry No. 4349 (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
• Dimensions & Tonnage: Approximately 87.50 ft long × 22.70 ft beam × 7.20 ft depth of hold; gross tonnage ~87.07 GRT; two‑masted sail‑powered schooner of white‑oak construction (Wikipedia).
• Cargo & Use: Frequently carried cordwood and miscellaneous lumber freight around Lake Michigan; designed as a clipper schooner, dubbed the “Belle of Lake Michigan” (Go Valley Kids).
• Location of Wreck: Stranded deliberately on the beach approximately twelve miles south of Sturgeon Bay (i.e. near Kohler‑Andrae State Park, Sheboygan County), Lake Michigan. Coordinates ~ N 43° 28.226′, W 87° 47.462′ (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).

Vessel Type

• A clipper‑type wooden schooner with two masts built for speed and cargo efficiency in the mid‑19th century Great Lakes trade.

Description

• Stern and bow lines styled after East Coast schooners, adapted by William Wallace Bates for Great Lakes conditions. The hull was relatively wide for its length to accommodate cargo and shallow ports (Door County Pulse).

History

• Built in 1852; considered Bates’s first clipper schooner combining East Coast design with Midwest trade needs, initiating a regional shipbuilding trend at Manitowoc (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
• Stranded at Bailey’s Harbor in December 1901; salvaged and returned to service by 1907 (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
• In 1910, owner Capt. John O’Brien (Chicago) commanded the vessel; crew included his son Edward O’Brien and Charles & William Wolf of Milwaukee (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).

Final Disposition

• Final Incident (September 5, 1910): In dense fog near Port Washington, the schooner failed to enter port, became entangled in fishing pound nets and began leaking. Crew deliberately beached her approximately 12 miles south of Sturgeon Bay. Gear and sails were stripped ashore; the vessel was effectively abandoned with no lives lost, including Captain O’Brien’s wife, who walked ashore with the crew (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
• The enrollment certificate was formally surrendered in Chicago on September 30, 1910, marked “Abandoned” (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).

Located By & Date Found

• The keel remains of the Challenge now lie exposed near the nature center at Kohler‑Andrae State Park, Sheboygan County. The keel washed ashore and has been preserved there as a public exhibit (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
• Though visible on land, the underwater wreck in situ probably no longer survives; no diver survey record, but the keel constitutes the sole extant physical remnants.

Notmar & Advisories

• No marine hazard notices were issued post‑loss; as the hull was stripped and likely burned inland, it did not pose navigational hazard. “None noted.”

Resources & Links

• Wisconsin Shipwrecks database vessel entry for Challenge summarizing history and wreck/disposition (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
• Kohler‑Andrae State Park “Challenge Keel” attraction page with public exhibit details (wisconsinshipwrecks.org).
• Additional context on clipper schooners and maritime freight in late‑19th/early‑20th century Lake Michigan trade: KN Meverden & Tamara Thomsen et al. (NOAA/Wisconsin Historical Society) (NOAA Institutional Repository).

Shore Dive Information

• Not applicable: no diveable remains remain underwater; best preserved portion is onshore keel display.
• Visiting: Kohler‑Andrae State Park, near nature center, Sheboygan, WI. Public access via trail; vehicle admission sticker (WI State Parks) required (~US $28/year) (Wikipedia, Go Valley Kids).

Conclusion

• The schooner Challenge represents an important transitional vessel: William Wallace Bates’s first clipper design adapted to Great Lakes trade, influencing regional shipbuilding.
• Its final demise in 1910 reflects both navigational hazards posed by fog and pound nets, and longevity of wooden schooners carrying fragile cargo well past their prime.
• The visible keel at Kohler‑Andrae serves as a tangible heritage artifact of 19th‑century Great Lakes maritime commerce—no lives were lost, yet the loss underscores economic obsolescence and navigational risk.
• Though not diveable, its onshore keel exhibit makes it accessible for public education, maritime heritage interpretation, and further research.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

• Region: Lake Michigan, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
• Vessel type: Two‑mast clipper‑style schooner
• Cargo: Cordwood (lumber), general freight
• Cause of loss: Stranding/beaching due to fog and entanglement in pound nets
• Material: Wooden hull (oak)
• Period: 1852–1910 (58 years)
• Dive status: Shore artifact (keel), no underwater remains

challenge-us-4349 1910-09-05 00:42:00