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.

Charter (Steamer, built 1848)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Charter
• Type: Wooden sidewheel steamer, later converted to screw propeller
• Year built: 1848, Huron, Ohio
• Builder: Frederick D. Ketchum
• Original owners: Chipman P. Turner & Henry P. Smith, Black Rock & Tonawanda, NY
• Decks: Two
• Dimensions: 40.19 m (131′11″) long × 6.16 m (20′ 2¾″) beam × 2.36 m (7′ 9″) depth
• Tonnage: 197 old‑style tons
• Cargo capacity: 350 tons
• Final loss location: ~9.7 km (~6 mi) north of Fairport Harbor, OH
• Loss date: 20 August 1856
• Cause: Foundered during storm, carrying grain and flour
• Outcome: Crew rescued, no recorded fatalities

Vessel Type

A mid‑19th‑century, two‑deck wooden sidewheel steamer built for passenger and freight service on Lake Erie; later adapted to propeller configuration.

Description

Originally powered by side wheels under high‑pressure steam (two boilers, one cylinder); after a rebuild in 1853 by Bidwell & Banta, she was refitted as a screw‐driven propeller vessel—removal of her mast, new dimensions (25′ 5″ beam), and tonnage revised to 241 tons, improving freight handling capabilities.

History & Chronology

• 1849 (6 Jun): Enrolled in Buffalo
• 1851: Operated between Buffalo and Dunkirk; collided with steamer Columbia on Lake Erie
• 1852: Ran Buffalo–Port Stanley route; stranded off Mentor, OH (21 Aug)
• 1853 (22 Mar): Converted to screw steamer in Buffalo; began towing logs, passengers and freight (e.g. Buffalo–Ashtabula)
• 1854 (Dec): Charter service for Buffalo & Brantford Railroad
• 1856 (April): Owned by American Transportation Co. (Lake Erie Line)
• 1856 (20 Aug): Foundered in storm while bound from Cleveland to Buffalo with grain & flour cargo

Final Disposition

The Charter sank on 20 August 1856 during storm conditions. Her cargo and structure were lost, but the crew was rescued. The wreck lies off Fairport Harbor in deep water and was not salvaged.

Located By & Date Found

Believed located near Fairport Harbor, OH, based on archival storm reports. Specific site surveys or dives have not been documented.(alcheminc.com, Wikipedia)

Notmars & Advisories

No modern navigational hazards noted; position beyond nearshore and no remnants posing current risk.

Resources & Links

• Erie–Ashtabula Shipwrecks listing for Charter loss date & location (alcheminc.com)
• Bowling Green State University Lytle List – enrollment and incident chronology
• Erik Heyl, Early American Steamers – vessel type/background
• C. Patrick Labadie, Donald V. Baut – archival registry details
• Tatley, Steamboat Era in the Muskokas – operational history and ports served

Shore Dive Information

Not applicable. The ship lies in deep waters outside recreational dive range; no records confirm vessel remains accessible.

Conclusion

The Charter illustrates mid-century transitions in passenger-cargo steamer design: originally built as a sidewheeler, she was converted to propeller for utility service. Despite active use, she succumbed to a summer storm in 1856. Though crew were saved, the ship’s loss underscores the unpredictability of Great Lakes weather and the vulnerability of wooden steamers at the time. Her wreck remains a subject for potential deep-water archaeological interest.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

• Wooden sidewheel steamer → screw conversion
• Lake Erie freight & grain transport
• Stormfoundered, shipwreck 1856
• Propeller conversion 1853
• Fairport Harbor maritime history

Would you like me to explore logs of the Charter’s passenger and freight service, or examine weather and storm conditions off Fairport in August 1856?

charter-1848 1856-08-20 23:10:00