Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: E.F. Gould
- Type: Wooden Schooner / Barge
- Year Built:
- Builder:
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Oscoda, Michigan
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
E.F. Gould appears to have been a wooden sailing schooner or lumber barge, employed for hauling timber from Oscoda’s substantial sawmill operations. The reference “preparing to load lumber” suggests direct involvement in the logging trade typical of that port, perhaps as temporary time‑charter.
Description
On 27 October 1898, while moored at Oscoda’s lumber dock, E.F. Gould was swept free by a sudden Lake Huron gale, striking shoreline or shallow reef. She was destroyed in just a few hours, suffering catastrophic structural failure; her crew was rescued with no loss of life by the U.S. Life-Saving Service based at Tawas Point (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
This aligns with broader loss lists from 17 October 1898, which note E. F. Gould beaching at Au Sable, Michigan, a location adjacent to Oscoda, due to storm exposure—a common hazard in late-season lumber handling operations (Wikipedia).
History
- No registry details (official number, tonnage, ownership) were located in readily accessible records.
- Operating locale and cargo type strongly suggest E.F. Gould belonged to local lumber interests active in mid‑late 1890s northern Michigan, possibly chartered for short-haul freight between Oscoda/Au Sable and harvest points.
- Her destruction parallels other October storm losses in 1898 during the busy wood season.
Significant Incidents
- None recorded; no formal notations in Notices to Mariners or hazard bulletins related to this wreck were identified.
Final Disposition
E.F. Gould was a total loss. The vessel was wrecked ashore, broken beyond repair, and not salvaged. Registry entries for the vessel likely ceased soon after, although no documentation is known.
Current Condition & Accessibility
- No archaeological survey, underwater discovery, or dive documentation is known to exist.
- Given her rapid destruction and probable high-energy wrecking (along shoreline dunes and logs), site remains likely dispersed or deeply buried and undocumented.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”e-f-gould-1898″ title=”References & Links”]
The E.F. Gould was a wooden lumber‑laden schooner or barge stationed at Oscoda’s lumber dock, destroyed by gale-force winds on 27 October 1898. Without taking on cargo but preparing to load lumber, she broke moorings and was rapidly wrecked ashore. The crew survived, rescued by the Tawas Point U.S. Life-Saving Service. Despite its sudden loss, the vessel made it into contemporary shipwreck lists for late 1898, but no precise registry or technical specifications survive in standard sources.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
Join Shotline to read more →