Daylight US 6200

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Daylight
• Type: Steamer (Sidewheel)
• Year Built: 1865
• Builder: Constructed at Ferrysburg (then Ferrysville), Michigan
• Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage: 68 tons
• Location: At dock, Ferrysburg, Michigan
• Official Number: 6200

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Daylight was a wooden sidewheel steamer designed for local passenger and freight transport along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, primarily between smaller ports such as Manistee, Grand Haven, and Muskegon.

Description

Typical of mid-19th-century local steamers, Daylight featured a wooden hull and side-mounted paddlewheels. She was lightly built and modestly powered, reflecting her short-haul service in relatively sheltered coastal waters. At 68 gross tons, she was small even among Great Lakes steamers of the period.

History

• 1865: Built and enrolled in Detroit, MI; constructed at Ferrysville, MI (present-day Ferrysburg) to serve growing regional demand for small freight/passenger routes.
• 1867: Re-enrolled at Grand Haven, MI.
• 1868: Registered at Muskegon, MI, possibly indicating home port or frequent operational base.
• 1870: Operated on the Manistee–Grand Haven route, transporting passengers and light freight.
• October 1870: Experienced mechanical trouble when the whistle pipe blew out near Saugatuck, MI. She struck a pier and had to be towed by the IRA CHAFFE.

Significant Incidents

None noted.

Final Disposition

On 7 October 1870, Daylight caught fire while docked at a lumber mill in Ferrysburg, MI. The fire spread rapidly and consumed both the vessel and the adjacent mill. There are no reports of fatalities. The vessel was a total loss.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No underwater wreck site is reported for Daylight. As the fire occurred at dock and the hull was likely destroyed in shallow water or salvaged, no known remains exist.

Resources & Links

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Daylight represents the small, often overlooked local steamers that formed the backbone of regional commerce and passenger service on the Great Lakes during the mid-19th century. Though modest in size and capabilities, her loss—along with a valuable lumber mill—illustrates the vulnerability of both vessels and industry to fire in the era before modern fire suppression.