Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Czar
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1862
- Builder: E. LeFebre
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: 441 tons (Old Style); 353.9 gross tons (1868)
- Location: Near Presque Isle, Michigan
- Official Number: 4924
- Original Owners: Stewart, Oswego, NY; Lyons & Finney, Oswego, NY; Hearnes and partners, Cleveland, OH
- Number of Masts: Two-masted, fore-and-aft
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
- Type: Schooner
- Rig: Two-masted, fore-and-aft
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: 1
Description
- Builder: E. LeFebre
- Original Owner: Stewart, Oswego, NY
- Tonnage (Old Style): 441 tons
- Later Measurement (1868): 353.9 gross tons
History
- 1862: Launched and enrolled at Oswego, NY.
- 1864 (October 6): Lost chain and anchor in Lake Huron.
- 1865 (November 8): Damaged in a gale on Lake Ontario.
- 1871: Owned by Lyons & Finney, Oswego, NY.
- 1874 (November): Aground on Graham Shoals, Lake Huron, while carrying grain.
- 1875: Owned by Hearnes and partners, Cleveland, OH.
- 1875 (September 16): While downbound from Escanaba, Michigan with a load of iron ore, the Czar was caught in a storm near Presque Isle, Michigan. The vessel was pushed onto a reef. The force of the grounding shoved the keel up through the bottom of the hull, likely from striking underwater boulders. Though the tug Sweepstakes was able to assist and rescue the crew, the hull was later washed off the reef and settled in deeper water, a total loss.
Final Disposition
The Czar was fatally stranded during a storm and pushed onto a rocky reef, sustaining catastrophic hull damage. Despite rescue efforts, the vessel was unsalvageable and subsequently slipped into deeper water.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No definitive record of wreck discovery exists. Remains may still lie near Presque Isle in deep water but have not been documented or confirmed by modern divers.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”czar-us-4924″ title=”References & Links”]
The schooner Czar had a 13-year operational history spanning grain and ore transport during the Great Lakes’ commercial boom. Built in Oswego, she met her end carrying iron ore on Lake Huron when forced onto a reef by storm-driven seas near Presque Isle. The incident underscores the perilous nature of fall shipping conditions and the risks faced by wooden bulk carriers operating without modern navigation aids.
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: CZAR
- Official Number: 4924
- Year Built: 1862
- Built At: Oswego, New York
- Final Disposition: Stranded and destroyed in storm
- Final Location: Near Presque Isle, Michigan
- Lake: Lake Huron
- Date Lost: 16 September 1875
Vessel Type
- Type: Schooner
- Rig: Two-masted, fore-and-aft
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: 1
Description
- Builder: E. LeFebre
- Original Owner: Stewart, Oswego, NY
- Tonnage (Old Style): 441 tons
- Later Measurement (1868): 353.9 gross tons
History
- 1862: Launched and enrolled at Oswego, NY.
- 1864 (October 6): Lost chain and anchor in Lake Huron.
- 1865 (November 8): Damaged in a gale on Lake Ontario.
- 1871: Owned by Lyons & Finney, Oswego, NY.
- 1874 (November): Aground on Graham Shoals, Lake Huron, while carrying grain.
- 1875: Owned by Hearnes and partners, Cleveland, OH.
- 1875 (September 16): While downbound from Escanaba, Michigan with a load of iron ore, the CZAR was caught in a storm near Presque Isle, Michigan. The vessel was pushed onto a reef. The force of the grounding shoved the keel up through the bottom of the hull, likely from striking underwater boulders. Though the tug SWEEPSTAKES was able to assist and rescue the crew, the hull was later washed off the reef and settled in deeper water, a total loss.
Final Disposition
The CZAR was fatally stranded during a storm and pushed onto a rocky reef, sustaining catastrophic hull damage. Despite rescue efforts, the vessel was unsalvageable and subsequently slipped into deeper water.
Located By & Date Found
No definitive record of wreck discovery exists. Remains may still lie near Presque Isle in deep water but have not been documented or confirmed by modern divers.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Great Lakes Vessels – BGSU Database
- Donald V. Baut Archive
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
- Enrollments, U.S. National Archives
Conclusion
The schooner CZAR had a 13-year operational history spanning grain and ore transport during the Great Lakes’ commercial boom. Built in Oswego, she met her end carrying iron ore on Lake Huron when forced onto a reef by storm-driven seas near Presque Isle. The incident underscores the perilous nature of fall shipping conditions and the risks faced by wooden bulk carriers operating without modern navigation aids.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Keywords: Schooner, iron ore, reef grounding, Lake Huron, storm wreck
- Categories: Shipwrecks – Lake Huron, Great Lakes Iron Trade, 19th Century Schooners
- Glossary Terms: Stranded, Reef, Gross Tonnage, Downbound, Boulders, Tug Rescue