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

• Vessel Name: Dubuque
• Former Names: None noted
• Official Number: 6149
• Date of Loss: 6 September 1877
• Final Location: Ashore at Long Point, Lake Erie (Ontario side)
• Disposition: Total loss; abandoned and stripped

Vessel Type

• Type: Propeller (Screw steamer)
• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks/Masts: 1 deck, 1 mast
• Configuration: Converted to unrigged barge in May 1877, four months before loss
• Purpose: Originally built for freight/passenger service, later lumber and barge use

Description

Built in 1857 at Buffalo, New York by Dan O’Connor, the Dubuque was a wooden-hulled propeller steamer. She measured 139.9 ft in length, 26 ft beam, and 11.75 ft depth of hold, and registered 399 74/95 tons (old measurement), later remeasured post-rebuild at 276.44 gross tons. Her structure was notably strengthened in 1863, and by 1871 had been rebuilt with her upper works removed amidships for the lumber trade.

In May 1877, she was officially converted into an unrigged tow barge, having been stripped of her engine and propulsion equipment, and repurposed for bulk trade.

History

• 1857–1869: Served under multiple owners in Oswego, Buffalo, and Detroit, including Dewitt C. Littlejohn (Old Oswego Line), A.W. Harvey, and Eber B. Ward.
• 1870–1872: Suffered several incidents: sprang a leak near Grand River in Lake Erie (May 1870); grounded in the St. Clair River (Aug 1870); rebuilt for the lumber trade.
• 1876–1877: Final owners were W.O. Harrison and George Wilson of Detroit. Converted into a barge in May 1877.
• 6 September 1877: Driven ashore in a gale three miles east of Long Point Light. Was part of a tow handled by tug Burnside.
• 14 September 1877: Declared a total loss; stripped of her gear and canvas and abandoned.

Final Disposition

• Cause: Gale (storm)
• Method: Driven ashore; beached and abandoned
• Cargo: Unknown or not specified in sources
• Salvage: None beyond stripping
• Enrollment Surrendered: Detroit, 10 August 1878, noted as “total loss”

Located By & Date Found

• No confirmed wreck discovery reported to date
• Wreck likely disintegrated in surf zone near Long Point; not listed as a hazard

Notmars & Advisories

• None known or currently issued

Resources & Links

• Lytle-Holdcamper Merchant Vessel List
• John E. Poole Ship Data Notes – HCGL BGSU
• Edward J. Dowling Collection (University of Detroit – Mercy)
• U.S. National Archives Vessel Enrollments (via Feltner/Labadie)
• Steamboat Era in the Muskokas, Richard Tatley
• C. Patrick Labadie Great Lakes Maritime Collection

Conclusion

The Dubuque is an example of mid-19th-century Great Lakes propeller steamers that transitioned into barge service as their propulsion systems aged. Her loss off Long Point in 1877 while under tow marks the quiet end of a vessel with a 20-year operational life through multiple owners and rebuilds. Her wreck has not been located but likely lies disarticulated in shallow water near the point.

dubuque-us-6149 1877-09-06 17:15:00