Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Dispatch US 6153

Explore the historical wreck of the Dispatch, a mid-19th century wooden schooner lost in a storm while entering Manitowoc Harbor.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Dispatch
  • Type: Sailing schooner
  • Year Built: 1857
  • Builder: Miller, Kitts & Moore Shipyard
  • Dimensions: Length 114 ft (34.75 m); Beam 24 ft (7.32 m); Depth of hold 10.3 ft (3.14 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: 232.33 tons
  • Location: Lake Michigan, at the south pier entrance to Manitowoc Harbor
  • Coordinates: N 44° 05.234′ / W 87° 38.726′
  • Official Number: 6153
  • Original Owners: T. Lovedale
  • Number of Masts: Two- or three-masted (schooner rig)

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Dispatch was a sailing schooner, typically rigged with two or three masts, designed for the grain and lumber trade.

Description

Built in 1857, the Dispatch was a wooden vessel constructed at the Miller, Kitts & Moore Shipyard in Oswego, New York. It was primarily used for transporting grain, but its service diversified to include railroad ties and cordwood.

History

The Dispatch was classified as C-1 in 1874 and valued at $4,000 at the time of its loss. It primarily operated in the Lake Michigan–Chicago grain trade, occasionally carrying lumber and rail supplies.

Significant Incidents

  • Date: 11 November 1874
  • Voyage: Entering Manitowoc Harbor during a severe southeast gale
  • Cargo: 4,000 railroad ties and 20 cords of wood
  • Missed the harbor entrance due to poor visibility and high winds
  • Driven against the south harbor pier by the storm
  • Rail and deck smashed; vessel stranded in surf
  • Crew escaped without loss of life

Final Disposition

The Dispatch was stripped of all valuable fittings and gear by December 3, 1874, and was declared abandoned. The wreck gradually broke up on the beach.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The site is likely disintegrated in the surf zone by winter storms of 1874–75. No modern survey has documented surviving timbers, and submerged remnants, if any, may be sand-covered near the south pier. The site is considered non-divable, primarily a historical beaching with no known remaining structure.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”dispatch-us-6153″ title=”References & Links”]

The Dispatch serves as a historical case study of mid-19th century wooden lake schooners and reflects the hazards of harbor approaches during storms in the pre-lighthouse era.

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

  • Vessel Name: Dispatch
  • Former Names: None known
  • U.S. Registry Number: 6153
  • Year Built: 1857
  • Date of Loss: 11 November 1874
  • Depth at Site: Shallow beaching; ultimately disintegrated in surf
  • Location: Lake Michigan, at the south pier entrance to Manitowoc Harbor
  • Coordinates: N 44° 05.234′ / W 87° 38.726′
  • County: Manitowoc, Wisconsin
  • Nearest City: Manitowoc, WI

Vessel Type

  • Type: Sailing schooner
  • Rig: Two- or three-masted (typical for Great Lakes schooners; mast count unspecified but listed as “schooner rig”)
  • Intended Service: Grain and lumber trade

Construction Details

  • Builder: Miller, Kitts & Moore Shipyard
  • Construction Site: Oswego, New York
  • Hull Material: Wood
  • Length: 114 ft (34.75 m)
  • Beam: 24 ft (7.32 m)
  • Depth of Hold: 10.3 ft (3.14 m)
  • Gross Tonnage: 232.33 tons
  • Propulsion: Sail (no auxiliary power)
  • Design Capacity: 14,000 bushels of grain

Ownership & Registry

  • Home Port: Chicago, IL
  • Owner at Loss: T. Lovedale

Service History

The Dispatch was built in 1857 at Oswego, NY, a major shipbuilding center for lake schooners. She was designed primarily for grain transport but later carried railroad ties and cordwood as part of the diversified bulk trade of the 1870s.

  • Classification: C-1 in 1874
  • Valuation: $4,000 at the time of loss
  • Trade Routes: Primarily Lake Michigan–Chicago grain trade, occasionally carrying lumber and rail supplies

Final Voyage & Loss

  • Date: 11 November 1874
  • Voyage: Entering Manitowoc Harbor during a severe southeast gale
  • Cargo: 4,000 railroad ties and 20 cords of wood

Incident Summary:

  • Missed the harbor entrance due to poor visibility and high winds
  • Driven against the south harbor pier by the storm
  • Rail and deck smashed; vessel stranded in surf
  • Crew escaped without loss of life

Disposition:

  • Stripped of all valuable fittings and gear by December 3, 1874
  • Declared abandoned per the Milwaukee Sentinel (03 Dec 1874)
  • Wreck gradually broke up on the beach

Casualties

  • Lives Lost: None
  • Crew Saved: Entire complement

Site & Archaeological Notes

  • Present Condition:
    • Likely disintegrated in the surf zone by winter storms of 1874–75
    • No modern survey has documented surviving timbers
    • Submerged remnants, if any, may be sand-covered near the south pier
  • Diving Relevance:
    • Non-divable site; primarily a historical beaching with no known remaining structure

Notmars & Advisories

  • No contemporary Notices to Mariners; hazard removed by disintegration

Archival References & Links

Historical Significance

The Dispatch is representative of mid-19th century wooden lake schooners that dominated grain and lumber traffic on the Great Lakes. Its wreck reflects:

  • The hazards of harbor approach during storms in the pre-lighthouse and breakwater era
  • The economic transition from pure grain transport to diversified cargoes including railroad materials
  • The ephemeral nature of wooden beach wrecks, which often left no diveable remains

Today, Dispatch is remembered primarily through archival newspaper accounts and registry data, serving as a case study for small-scale merchant schooner operations on Lake Michigan.

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