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: Edith H. Koyen
• Former Names: None
• Registry Number: 136147
• Year Built: 1890
• Date of Loss: Sunk offshore 27 December 1906 (after harbor abandonment)
• Original Sinking: Settled at dock May 1898
• Coordinates (final sinking site): N 44° 27.692′ / W 87° 29.801′ (approximent)
• County: Kewaunee, Wisconsin
• Nearest City: Kewaunee, WI
• Depth: Unknown (likely <40 ft / 12 m near shore)

Vessel Type

• Type: Two-masted scow-schooner
• Service: Short-haul local freight, likely lumber and agricultural cargoes
• Intended Use: Harbor and coastal trade in Green Bay and Lake Michigan

Construction Details

• Builder: Andrew A. Koyen
• Location Built: Detroit Harbor, Washington Island, Door County, WI
• Hull Material: Wood (scow configuration with flat bottom)
• Length: 55.60 ft (16.94 m)
• Beam: 17.00 ft (5.18 m)
• Depth of Hold: 5.00 ft (1.52 m)
• Gross Tonnage: 38.04 tons
• Propulsion: Sail only
• Rig: Two-masted schooner
• Design Features:
  • Flat-bottomed scow hull for shallow harbor use
  • Low tonnage, capable of accessing small ports and river mouths

Ownership & Registry

• Owner & Builder: Andrew A. Koyen
• Home Port: Detroit Harbor, Washington Island, WI
• Last Enrollment Surrendered: Milwaukee, 19 August 1898 (“Vessel Abandoned”)

Service History

• 1890: Vessel launched at Detroit Harbor, named after Koyen’s daughter, Edith.
• 1890–1897: Operated in local harbor and nearshore trade, carrying small loads typical for scow-schooners.
• Late Career: Vessel became leaky and unseaworthy, reflecting the common decline of lightly built scow-schooners after years of hard service.

Final Voyage & Sinking

• November 1897:
  • Under command of Captain Chris Braunsdord, the Edith H. Koyen was moored at Clay Banks, WI when she developed serious leaks.
  • She was towed to Kewaunee Harbor for lay-up and repair consideration.
• May 1898:
  • The schooner settled to the bottom while docked in Kewaunee Harbor.
  • Official enrollment surrendered later that summer, marking formal abandonment.
• November 1, 1906:
  • Contract awarded to remove the sunken Koyen and three other derelicts obstructing Kewaunee Harbor.
• 27 December 1906:
  • Vessel raised from harbor and towed into Lake Michigan, where she was intentionally scuttled offshore Kewaunee at the current recorded coordinates.
• Casualties: 0

Site & Archaeological Notes

• Wreck Location: Offshore Kewaunee, WI (exact depth unverified, likely shallow)
• Condition: Presumed broken and scattered after intentional scuttling
• Archaeological Potential:
  • Represents small scow-schooners, once common but rarely preserved
  • Example of harbor clearance disposal practice common in the early 20th century

Notmars & Advisories

• None Noted; scuttling site chosen to avoid navigational hazard.

Archival References & Links

• Wisconsin Shipwrecks – Edith H. Koyen
• Kewaunee Enterprise, Nov. 1897 & May 1898 (leak and harbor sinking notices)
• Bowling Green State University HCGL Vessel Index
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes – Enrollment & Abandonment Records
• U.S. Treasury Department, Bureau of Navigation – Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States (1890–1898 editions)

Historical Significance

The Edith H. Koyen is an important representative of small scow-schooners that served local commerce on Green Bay and Lake Michigan during the late 19th century.

• These low-cost, flat-bottomed vessels were widely used for timber and harbor cargoes, but were short-lived due to structural weakness.
• Her intentional scuttling in 1906 reflects the routine harbor-clearing practices that led to the disappearance of many small schooners from the Great Lakes.

While not a dive destination of major interest, Edith H. Koyen remains part of the maritime heritage of Kewaunee and the Washington Island shipbuilding tradition.

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