Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: City of Sturgeon Bay
- Type: Wooden single-deck screw steamer
- Year Built: 1883
- Builder: Likely Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
- Dimensions: Unknown
- Registered Tonnage: Unknown
- Location: Ashore in Michigan, possibly near Escanaba
- Coordinates: Unknown
- Official Number: Unknown
- Original Owners: Unknown
- Number of Masts: Unknown
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A mid-to-late-19th-century steam vessel—likely used regionally for trade or lightship duties. Its construction suggests a small, durable hull suitable for working harbours and anchorages rather than long hauls.
Description
No detailed records of dimensions or tonnage survive. As a single-deck wooden steamer equipped for stationary service (lightship), it probably featured modest engine and accommodation spaces and retained minimal piloting structure.
History
- 1883: Vessel built—records identify her as the City of Sturgeon Bay
- By 1892: Serving possibly as a lightship around Escanaba, MI, to aid navigation and mark hazards
- 8 October 1892: Severe gale or storm drove her from anchorage; vessel was grounded and wrecked ashore
Significant Incidents
No significant incidents recorded beyond the loss in 1892.
Final Disposition
The vessel was wrecked and abandoned. No records indicate salvage or removal, and she likely broke apart from exposure.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No formal wreck surveys or rediscovery efforts recorded. The remains, if any survive, are likely heavily deteriorated timber remnants along the shore.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”city-of-sturgeon-bay-1883″ title=”References & Links”]
The City of Sturgeon Bay likely served as a floating navigational aid before being lost in a storm that swept her ashore in October 1892. Though scant details remain, the incident underlines the vulnerability of lightships to severe weather and represents a lesser-known narrative in Great Lakes maritime operations. Today, it lives on as a footnote in lighthouse and station histories.
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
- Name: City of Sturgeon Bay
- Year built: 1883
- Type: Wooden single-deck screw steamer (local vessel configuration)
- Built at: Likely Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
- Final loss date: 8 October 1892
- Loss location: Ashore in Michigan—blown off anchorage (possibly near Escanaba) and wrecked
- Context note: May have been serving as a lightship at Escanaba when lost
Vessel Type
A mid‑to‑late-19th-century steam vessel—likely used regionally for trade or lightship duties. Its construction suggests a small, durable hull suitable for working harbours and anchorages rather than long hauls.
Description
No detailed records of dimensions or tonnage survive. As a single-deck wooden steamer equipped for stationary service (lightship), it probably featured modest engine and accommodation spaces and retained minimal piloting structure.
History & Chronology
- 1883: Vessel built—records identify her as the City of Sturgeon Bay
- By 1892: Serving possibly as a lightship around Escanaba, MI, to aid navigation and mark hazards
- 8 October 1892: Severe gale or storm drove her from anchorage; vessel was grounded and wrecked ashore
Final Disposition
The vessel was wrecked and abandoned. No records indicate salvage or removal, and she likely broke apart from exposure
Located By & Date Found
No formal wreck surveys or rediscovery efforts recorded. The remains, if any survive, are likely heavily deteriorated timber remnants along the shore.
Notmars & Advisories
No modern navigational hazards noted, as the wreck predated hardened charting and does not present a submerged hazard today.
Resources & Links
- Brief mention in Steamboat Era in the Muskokas (Tatley) and 19th-century Great Lakes vessel logs (Baut’s records)
- Regional newspaper accounts (1992 retrospectives) reference the gale-driven wreck near Escanaba
Shore Dive & Survey Information
Not applicable. The vessel was beached on land and wrecked ashore; no submerged dive site remains.
Conclusion
The City of Sturgeon Bay likely served as a floating navigational aid before being lost in a storm that swept her ashore in October 1892. Though scant details remain, the incident underlines the vulnerability of lightships to severe weather and represents a lesser-known narrative in Great Lakes maritime operations. Today, it lives on as a footnote in lighthouse and station histories.
Keywords
- Wooden steam lightship
- Gale wrecked ashore
- Escanaba maritime navigation
- 1892 vessel loss