Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Emma Banner
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1889
- Builder: Gustafson
- Dimensions: 81 × 23 × 7 ft; 92 GRT / 88 NRT
- Registered Tonnage: 92 GRT / 88 NRT
- Location: 15 miles southeast of Point Sauble, Lake Michigan
- Official Number: 136065
- Original Owners: Christ Pederson, Milwaukee, WI
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Emma Banner was a wooden schooner with one deck and two masts, built for coastal trade in the Great Lakes.
Description
The Emma Banner was constructed in 1889 at Onekama, Michigan, by Gustafson. It measured 81 feet in length, 23 feet in beam, and had a depth of 7 feet. The vessel was registered with a gross tonnage of 92 GRT and a net tonnage of 88 NRT.
History
At the time of its loss, the Emma Banner was owned by Christ Pederson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It primarily functioned in the Great Lakes coastal trade, transporting bulk cargo such as bark.
Significant Incidents
- Final Voyage: On August 19, 1897, the Emma Banner was bound from Manistee, MI to Milwaukee, loaded with 109 cords of bark.
- Incident: The vessel capsized during a sudden squall on Lake Michigan.
- The crew managed to escape into the yawl and drifted at sea for 22 hours before being rescued by the steamer Fred Pabst.
- The damaged schooner was towed into Manistee Harbor by the tug Irma L. Wheeler but was ultimately abandoned due to its poor condition.
Final Disposition
The Emma Banner was officially located 15 miles southeast of Point Sauble, Lake Michigan, where it capsized and was later abandoned.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The wreck of the Emma Banner remains abandoned and is not known to have been salvaged or restored since its abandonment.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”emma-banner-us-136065″ title=”References & Links”]
Research opportunities include examining Captain Pederson’s log or insurance claims, as well as searching archives of local newspapers from August to September 1897 for first-person accounts and damage assessments.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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