Derrick (1854)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Derrick
• Type: Wooden schooner or derrick vessel
• Year Built:
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Unknown
• Registered Tonnage:
• Location: Off Silver Creek, New York
• Official Number: None recorded
• Original Owners: Attributed to a party named Bishop of Grand River, Ohio

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Wooden schooner or derrick vessel utilized for salvage operations

Description

The vessel referred to as Derrick was a wooden schooner or possibly a derrick barge, designed or adapted specifically for salvage work. It is presumed to have been equipped with lifting gear used in marine salvage, particularly over wreck sites. These types of vessels were integral to 19th-century efforts to recover valuable materials from shipwrecks and were often makeshift conversions of small schooners.

History

Though detailed construction and ownership records are lacking, the Derrick was actively involved in salvage operations on Lake Erie during the mid-19th century. In the summer of 1854, she worked over the wreck of the steamer Atlantic, a vessel that had been lost in a high-profile disaster carrying immigrants across the Great Lakes.

In late September of that year, the Derrick was relocated to the site of another infamous wreck — the steamer Erie, which had been lost in 1841 in one of the most tragic marine fires on Lake Erie. Unfortunately, while engaged in operations over the Erie wreck site near Silver Creek, New York, the Derrick succumbed to a gale and was lost.

Ownership is attributed, albeit loosely, to a party named Bishop of Grand River, Ohio, who may have outfitted or chartered the vessel for salvage work. It remains unclear if the vessel’s name was actually Derrick, or if this was simply a functional reference to its salvage equipment.

Significant Incidents

The Derrick sank on September 29, 1854, in a storm while stationed over the wreck of the steamer Erie. No further information is known about the recovery or condition of the wreck, and no reports confirm whether any lives were lost in the sinking.

Final Disposition

Nil return. The wreck of the Derrick has not been conclusively located or identified in modern marine archaeology.

Current Condition & Accessibility

None reported. There are no current navigational hazards or advisory notices related to this wreck.

Resources & Links

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The Derrick represents a lesser-known but historically intriguing type of vessel used in the 19th-century marine salvage trade on the Great Lakes. Her presumed use in recovering valuables from the Atlantic and Erie disasters places her within the broader narrative of Great Lakes maritime recovery efforts. Although no detailed physical record or wreck site exists today, references to her work and loss preserve her legacy in regional history.