Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Commerce
- Type: Schooner (ex-brigantine)
- Year Built: 1857
- Builder: David Dibble, Sandusky, Ohio
- Dimensions: Length: 141.50 ft (43.12 m); Beam: 31.80 ft (9.69 m); Depth of hold: 10.80 ft (3.29 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 327.43 GRT
- Location: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- Coordinates: 43° 45.633′ N / 87° 41.356′ W
- Official Number: 4363
- Original Owners: L.H. Pratt, Winslow & Smith, Whibeck & Co., A.G. VanSchaick, Captain Edward Mullem, Eph Nelson, George Flood
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Type: Wooden two-masted schooner, formerly brigantine
Intended Service: Bulk cargo carrier for lumber, hardwood slabs, shingles, and wood products
Notable Construction Features:
- Shallow draft for harbor and river access
- Strengthened for heavy timber cargoes
- Converted from brigantine to schooner rig for simpler, smaller-crew operation typical of the post-1870 lumber trade
Description
The Commerce was a wooden two-masted schooner, originally built as a brigantine. It was designed for transporting bulk cargo, particularly lumber and wood products, across the Great Lakes. The vessel underwent a significant rig change around 1870-1871, transitioning from a brigantine to a schooner to adapt to the evolving demands of the lumber trade.
History
The Commerce had a varied ownership history, with notable owners including L.H. Pratt, Winslow & Smith, and Captain Edward Mullem. Throughout its operational life, the vessel primarily transported lumber and hardwood slabs, frequently traveling between ports in Lake Michigan, Buffalo, and Chicago. The ship faced several significant incidents, including a hull cave-in in 1887 and being declared a total loss multiple times before its final sinking.
Significant Incidents
- Nov 6, 1887 – Racine Reef, Lake Michigan: Hull caved in on reef, towed into Racine piers, sank in harbor; refloated and repaired.
- 1895 – Seul Choix Point, Northern Lake Michigan: Wrecked and declared total loss; recovered May 1896 and returned to service.
- Oct 21, 1905 – Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: Sank near Cedar Point, declared total loss, later raised and repaired again.
Final Disposition
The Commerce was lost on November 16, 1909, while carrying hardwood slabs for the Milwaukee-Western Fuel Company. The vessel became waterlogged in heavy seas while under tow by the steamer Sanilac, capsized before a tug could secure a tow, and subsequently broke up. No lives were lost, but the wooden hull was destroyed and scattered, with no known recovery of intact structure.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The wreck site is located approximately eight miles off Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The wreckage is reported to be broken and dispersed, with portions likely buried or removed during salvage operations. There is no confirmed diveable structure, and the archaeological potential is low unless sediment shifting reveals timbers.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”commerce-us-4363″ title=”References & Links”]
The schooner Commerce is a remarkable survivor of repeated 19th-century maritime disasters, declared a total loss at least three times before her final sinking in 1909. She illustrates the longevity of wooden Lake Michigan schooners and the economic imperative to salvage and rebuild well past their prime. Her final loss marked the end of an era for lumber-carrying schooner-barges on the Great Lakes, just as steel-hulled freighters and powered barges began to dominate.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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