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.

Identification & Site Information

• Name: D.S. AUSTIN
• Former Names: None reported
• Official Number: 6745
• Date Built and Launched: 1872
• Builder: Bailey Brothers, Toledo, Ohio
• Homeport: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Final Owner: Samuel Neff & Sons, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Vessel Type: Wooden Three-Masted Schooner
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Masts: Three
• Power: Sail-powered
• Measurements: Length: 135 ft (41.1 m) Beam: 26 ft (7.9 m) Depth: 12 ft (3.7 m)
• Gross Tonnage: 282 tons
• Net Tonnage: 268 tons
• Primary Cargo: Bulk salt (as seen in its final voyage)
• Final Owners: Samuel Neff & Sons, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Vessel Type

The D.S. AUSTIN was a wooden three-masted schooner, a common sailing vessel on the Great Lakes during the 19th century. At 135 feet in length, the D.S. AUSTIN was considered a mid-sized schooner, well-suited for long-distance cargo hauling. Schooners like the D.S. AUSTIN were primarily used for:

• Carrying bulk cargo such as salt, coal, grain, and lumber
• Navigating between smaller harbors and major ports
• Being towed by steambarges for increased efficiency

History

The D.S. AUSTIN operated for 26 years, enduring multiple wrecks and storm damage before being completely destroyed in Ludington, Michigan, in 1898.

Key Events in the Vessel’s History:

• 1872: Built in Toledo, Ohio, by Bailey Brothers for cargo trade.
• 1894, November 15: Severely damaged at the same location (Ludington, Michigan) after surviving the Great Spring Storm of 1894.
• 1898, November 8: Lost in Ludington, Michigan, during a storm.

Final Disposition

The D.S. AUSTIN was lost on November 8, 1898, when it dragged anchor and broke apart in Ludington Harbor during a storm.

The Disaster

The vessel was being towed by the steambarge E.S. TICE when it was released near Ludington Harbor. High winds caused it to drag anchor, and it struck the south pier. It then drifted near the beach, eventually sinking 1/4 mile north of the harbour. By November 16, 1898, the vessel was completely broken up by waves and shifting sands. No lives were lost, but the vessel was a total loss.

This loss was not the first for the D.S. AUSTIN, as it had previously suffered wrecks in Georgian Bay and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Despite 26 years of service, the severe November storms of the Great Lakes proved too much for the aging schooner.

Located By & Date Found

Nil return. There are no confirmed reports of the D.S. AUSTIN‘s wreck remains being discovered or documented near Ludington, Michigan.

Since it was completely broken apart by waves, any remains were likely scattered or buried beneath shifting sands.

Notmars & Advisories

Nil return. No modern navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported near Ludington Harbor, Michigan, in Lake Michigan.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File
• Local Archives:
  • Port of Ludington Maritime Museum (Potential records on the wreck)
  • Ludington Public Library – Historical Collection (Newspaper reports on the storm)

Conclusion

The D.S. AUSTIN was a typical 19th-century cargo schooner, hauling salt and other bulk goods across the Great Lakes. Its final loss at Ludington in 1898 demonstrates how vulnerable schooners were to November storms, even when safely at anchor.

d-s-austin-us-6745 1898-11-08 07:56:00