Contest US 4348

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Contest
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1855
• Builder: F. N. Jones
• Dimensions: Length 126 ft (38.4 m); Beam 28 ft 8 in (8.7 m); Depth of hold 11 ft (3.35 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 379 tons
• Location: Near the mouth of White Lake, Michigan
• Official Number: 4348
• Original Owners: Hart, Neuman & Co., Buffalo, NY; Taylor & Jewett, Buffalo, NY; N. C. Winlow, Buffalo; S. Cobb, Chicago
• Number of Masts: Three-masted

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A three-masted wooden schooner used primarily in grain and bulk cargo trade on the upper Great Lakes. Typical of mid-19th-century construction with durable oak framing and relatively deep draft for capacity and stability under load.

Description

• Hull Material: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1
• Length: 38.4 m (126 ft)
• Beam: 8.7 m (28 ft 8 in)
• Depth: 3.35 m (11 ft)
• Tonnage (Old Style): 379 tons
• Rig: Likely a standard three-masted topsail schooner

History

• 1855, Nov 30: Lost foremast and bowsprit in a Lake Huron storm, shortly after launch
• 1858, Apr: Owned by Taylor & Jewett, Buffalo, NY
• 1858, Oct: Arrived at Detroit with storm damage—240 bushels wheat spoiled, anchors and sails lost
• 1860, Aug 2: Sprang leak on Lake Erie en route Port Colborne to Milwaukee; repaired at Clark’s dry dock, Detroit
• 1863: Underwent large repairs
• 1866: Owned by N. C. Winlow, Buffalo
• 1868, Sep 25: Ashore at Pelee Island, Lake Erie
• 1868, Oct: Reported lost in Lake Erie snowstorm (confusion likely with prior incident)
• 1870, Oct 17: Stranded at Mill Point, Lake Erie
• 1876: Marked “unseaworthy,” owned by S. Cobb, Chicago
• 1882, Oct 25: Final loss, driven ashore near White Lake, MI, Lake Michigan; stripped and broke up within days

Significant Incidents

• 1855: Lost foremast and bowsprit in a storm shortly after launch.
• 1868: Reported lost in a snowstorm, likely confusion with a prior incident.
• 1882: Driven ashore in a storm, deemed unsalvageable.

Final Disposition

Driven ashore in a storm near White Lake, Michigan. The vessel was deemed unsalvageable, stripped of useful gear, and broke apart in the days following. No casualties were reported.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No modern discovery or archaeological dive surveys have been documented. Wreckage is likely fully disarticulated or buried in shore sediments.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”contest-us-4348″ title=”References & Links”]

The Contest had an extensive operational history spanning nearly three decades, a notable lifespan for a wooden schooner subjected to repeated severe weather incidents and multiple groundings. Her final demise in 1882 near White Lake marked the end of a vessel already considered “unseaworthy” by 1876, typical of schooners in their twilight years, operating under tow or minimal sail until rendered useless by weather or age.