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: Clarissa
• Year built: 1818
• Build location: Genesee River, New York
• Type: Wooden, two-masted schooner (single-deck)
• Tonnage: Approximately 31 old-style tons
• Final loss location: Lake Michigan
• Loss date: November 1836 – lost, presumed foundered or wrecked
• Cargo: Unspecified

Vessel Type

A small, early-19th-century Great Lakes schooner—likely employed in short-haul freight or supply duties along pioneer frontier routes.

Description

Wooden hull with two fore-and-aft rigged masts, minimal accommodation. Built during the early development of inland maritime commerce, such vessels were economical haulers of goods and supplies to remote settlements.

History & Chronology

• 1821–1824: Officially enrolled at Genesee, NY, and later Cape Vincent
• November 1836: Lost on Lake Michigan under circumstances typical of the era (e.g., wave-driven breakup, foundering during squall, or unrecorded grounding). No further registry or salvage records exist.

Final Disposition

The Clarissa was declared lost—no survivors nor wreck documented. Her disappearance left no known trace, and she vanished from the historical record following 1836.

Located By & Date Found

Unlocated. No surveys or diver reports exist. Any remains, if extant, lie buried in deep lake sediments or remain unidentifiable under shifting lakebed conditions.

Notmars & Advisories

None—event occurred prior to modern navigation systems; no contemporary risks noted.

Resources & Links

• Enrollment records (1821–24) via U.S. merchant vessel archives
• Chronology sourced from the C. Patrick Labadie Great Lakes collection

Shore Dive & Archaeological Info

Not applicable. No known remains, location unknown.

Conclusion

The Clarissa represents one of the earliest commercial craft on the Great Lakes, embodying the region’s nascent maritime infrastructure. Her quiet disappearance in 1836 exemplifies the common but often undocumented losses of small vessels during the era. Though physically undetectable today, her story contributes to our understanding of early Great Lakes navigation and settlement economies.

Keywords & Glossary

• Early Great Lakes schooner | Pre‑steam era vessel | 1836 lost schooner | Frontier maritime commerce

Would you like assistance exploring archival dispatches, shipping records from autumn 1836, or analogous cases of early schooner losses?

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