Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

E.K. Gilbert US 7238

Explore the wreck of the E.K. Gilbert, a 1855 wooden schooner that sank in Lake Erie during a storm, with its crew escaping safely.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: E.K. Gilbert
  • Type: Two-masted wooden schooner
  • Year Built: 1855
  • Builder: Wm. S. Redfield
  • Dimensions: Approximately 93 ft (28.3 m) length × 24 ft beam × 8 ft depth; ~132 tons displacement (~161 tons old measurement)
  • Registered Tonnage: 132 tons
  • Location: Approximately 15 miles east of Point Pelee, Ontario
  • Coordinates: Approximately 15 miles east of Point Pelee
  • Official Number: 7238
  • Number of Masts: Two

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Type: Two-masted wooden schooner, fore-and-aft rigged

Description

The E.K. Gilbert was a two-masted wooden schooner built in 1855. She was designed for cargo transport and was capable of carrying up to 200 tons of cargo.

History

The E.K. Gilbert was constructed by Wm. S. Redfield at St. Clair, Michigan. She was primarily used for transporting goods across the Great Lakes.

Significant Incidents

  • Date of loss: Night of November 23–24, 1868
  • Route: Underway from Cleveland, Ohio, bound for Detroit, Michigan, with 200 tons of coal
  • Location of loss: Lake Erie, approximately 15 miles east of Point Pelee, near the U.S.–Canadian shipping lanes
  • Cause: Sprung a leak and foundered in deep water; crew escaped safely in the yawl and were rescued
  • Losses: Full loss of vessel and cargo, estimated value approximately $10,000

Final Disposition

The wreck location is presumed at the sinking point, approximately 15 miles east of Point Pelee, in deep Lake Erie waters. The wreck is likely intact in cold freshwater, but its depth and precise position are unknown. It has not been salvaged and is noted only as ‘sunk’ with no documented recovery or survey.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck is presumed to lie intact in cold freshwater, which may have preserved its structure. The exact depth and condition remain unknown, but the site could be of interest to technical dive teams or maritime archaeologists.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”e-k-gilbert-us-7238″ title=”References & Links”]

The E.K. Gilbert, a modest two-masted schooner, sank during her final voyage on November 23–24, 1868, after steaming from Cleveland to Detroit with a full load of coal. She sprang a leak and foundered in deep water about 15 miles east of Point Pelee, but her crew managed to escape without loss of life. The total loss was assessed at roughly $10,000. While the wreck site remains unexamined, it lies in freshwater that may have preserved the vessel’s wooden structure well, offering an intriguing, undocumented underwater archaeological possibility.

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 & Construction

  • Type: Two-masted wooden schooner, fore-and-aft rigged
  • Built: 1855 by Wm. S. Redfield at St. Clair, Michigan
  • Official Number: 7238
  • Dimensions: Approximately 93 ft length × 24 ft beam × 8 ft depth; ~132 tons displacement (~161 tons old measurement) (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Propulsion & Capacity

  • Sail-powered (no engines).
  • Carried up to 200 tons of cargo.

Final Voyage & Sinking

  • Date of loss: Night of November 23–24, 1868
  • Route: Underway from Cleveland, Ohio, bound for Detroit, Michigan, with 200 tons of coal
  • Location of loss: Lake Erie, approximately 15 miles east of Point Pelee (Ontario), near the U.S.–Canadian shipping lanes (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • Cause: Sprung a leak and foundered (sank) in deep water; crew escaped safely in the yawl (small boat) and were rescued (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • Losses: Full loss of vessel and cargo, estimated value approximately $10,000 (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Crew & Casualties

  • Casualties: None. Crew escaped via yawl and survived.
  • Rescue: Crew was likely picked up by passing vessels—consistent with “crew escaped to shore in safety” (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Final Disposition

  • Wreck location: Presumed at the sinking point—circa 15 miles east of Point Pelee, in deep Lake Erie waters.
  • Wreck condition: Probably lies intact in cold freshwater. Depth and precise position unknown.
  • Disposal: Not salvaged; noted only as “sunk”—no documented recovery or survey.

Gaps & Further Research Recommendations

  • Crew & muster lists: Search for vessel documentation at the National Archives or U.S. Customs house records in Cleveland or Detroit.
  • Contemporary reports: Examine 1868 newspaper editions (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Detroit Free Press, Erie Telegraph) for announcements of the incident, survivors’ statements, or detailed damage description.
  • Insurance: Investigate marine insurance records to validate the $10,000 loss estimate and possible cargo valuation breakdown.
  • AIS or sonar survey: Though unlikely, a targeted sonar survey east of Point Pelee could locate remains—depth likely in the 60–100 ft range.
  • Site accessibility: Cold and deep Lake Erie conditions may preserve structure; the site could interest technical dive teams or maritime archaeologists.

Summary

The E.K. GILBERT, a modest two-masted schooner built in 1855, sank during her final voyage on November 23–24, 1868, after steaming from Cleveland to Detroit with a full load of coal. She sprang a leak, foundered in deep water about 15 miles east of Point Pelee, but luckily her crew managed to escape without loss of life. The total loss was assessed at roughly $10,000. While the wreck site remains unexamined, it lies in freshwater that may have preserved the vessel’s wooden structure well, offering an intriguing, undocumented underwater archaeological possibility.

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