Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: City of Boston
- Type: Wooden, single-propeller steamship—passenger & freight
- Year Built: 1863
- Builder: Cleveland, OH (Stephens & Presley)
- Dimensions: Length 136 ft (41.5 m); Beam 25.8 ft (7.9 m); Depth of hold 11.9 ft (3.6 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 392 tons
- Depth at Wreck Site: 2 m / 8 ft
- Location: ~6.4 km (4 mi) south of Frankfort, MI
- Official Number: 4375
- Number of Masts: One mast
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A mid-19th-century wooden screw steamer, built for mixed commerce and passenger service across Lake Michigan.
Description
Steam-powered single-propeller hull retaining auxiliary mast; engaged in mixed use post-1880s as a steam barge after rebuild.
History
- 14 Mar 1863: Launched
- 29 May 1865: Tonnage adjusted to 298 GT
- 25 Apr 1866: Readmeasured at 431.6 GT
- 3 Aug 1867: Grounded in Chicago—released
- Nov 1868: Collision with steamer Milwaukee in Straits of Mackinac—sunk
- 1870: Raised from 38 ft (125 ft), deepest Great Lakes salvage at the time; rebuilt as steam barge
- 10 May 1872: Collided with Sea Gull in Welland Canal
- Oct 1873: Disabled at Mackinac
- 4 Nov 1873: Stranded during snowstorm off Frankfort; broke in two at 15 ft depth; machinery salvaged; hull wrecked (Michigan Shipwrecks, Flickr, wrecksite.eu, Wandering Educators)
Final Disposition
Wrecked and abandoned; crew evacuated. Structure fragmented, with remains in shallow water and beach sand.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Wreck exists ~60 m offshore in 2–3 m (4–8 ft) water. Visibility varies with sand shifts—can be snorkelled from Green Point Dunes Preserve (Flickr, grkids.com).
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”city-of-boston-us-4375″ title=”References & Links”]
The City of Boston offers accessible insight into 19th-century steam commerce on Lake Michigan. Its shallower wreckage and proximity to shore make it an excellent educational snorkel site. As a once-modern steamer that faced rebuilds, deep salvage, and ultimately a snowstorm wreck, it encapsulates evolving maritime technology and Great Lakes navigational challenges of the 1800s.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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