Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: FALMOUTH
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1873
- Builder:
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Off Erie, Pennsylvania
- Official Number: [Unconfirmed; please advise if available]
- Original Owners: [Data missing; please advise if available]
- Number of Masts: 3
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Falmouth was a wooden, three-masted schooner built for bulk cargo trade on the Great Lakes.
Description
While precise dimensions are unconfirmed from this record, schooners of this era and cargo capacity typically measured between 40–50 metres (130–165 feet) in length with a beam of 7–8 metres (23–26 feet), designed for maximum hold capacity and efficient sail handling.
History
The Falmouth was constructed in 1873 and engaged in the bulk grain trade, carrying large shipments of wheat and other agricultural cargoes across the Lakes.
On 21 November 1880, while attempting to enter the harbour at Erie, Pennsylvania during a violent storm, she was driven onto the breakwater. The vessel quickly foundered and sank with a cargo of 16,000 bushels of wheat. Tragically, one person was lost; the cook refused to leave the vessel without his personal effects and was drowned as a result.
Significant Incidents
- Lost on 21 November 1880 during a storm while entering Erie, Pennsylvania.
- One life lost, that of the cook who refused to abandon ship.
Final Disposition
- Final Location: Off Erie, Pennsylvania (Lake Erie)
- Date Lost: 21 November 1880
- Cause: Drove onto the breakwater in a storm and sank
- Final Cargo: 16,000 bushels of wheat
- Lives Lost: 1 (the cook)
Current Condition & Accessibility
There is no confirmed modern discovery or survey of the Falmouth wreck; its status underwater remains undocumented in available references.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”falmouth-1873″ title=”References & Links”]
The Falmouth is a representative casualty of the fierce storms that regularly swept the Great Lakes in the late 19th century. Her loss with a cargo of wheat highlights the perils faced by commercial shipping and the hard choices made by crew in emergencies. Though her precise wreck location is not confirmed, the story of the cook refusing to abandon ship underscores the tragic human cost of Great Lakes maritime disasters.
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
- Name(s): FALMOUTH
- Year Built: 1873
- Vessel Type: Schooner
- Hull Material: Wood
- Number of Decks: 1
- Official Number: [Unconfirmed; please advise if available]
- Built At: [Data missing; please advise if available]
- Original Owner: [Data missing; please advise if available]
Vessel Type
The Falmouth was a wooden, three-masted schooner built for bulk cargo trade on the Great Lakes.
Description
While precise dimensions are unconfirmed from this record, schooners of this era and cargo capacity typically measured between 40–50 metres (130–165 feet) in length with a beam of 7–8 metres (23–26 feet), designed for maximum hold capacity and efficient sail handling.
History
The Falmouth was constructed in 1873 and engaged in the bulk grain trade, carrying large shipments of wheat and other agricultural cargoes across the Lakes.
On 21 November 1880, while attempting to enter the harbour at Erie, Pennsylvania during a violent storm, she was driven onto the breakwater. The vessel quickly foundered and sank with a cargo of 16,000 bushels of wheat. Tragically, one person was lost; the cook refused to leave the vessel without his personal effects and was drowned as a result.
Final Disposition
- Final Location: Off Erie, Pennsylvania (Lake Erie)
- Date Lost: 21 November 1880
- Cause: Drove onto the breakwater in a storm and sank
- Final Cargo: 16,000 bushels of wheat
- Lives Lost: 1 (the cook)
Located By & Date Found
There is no confirmed modern discovery or survey of the Falmouth wreck; its status underwater remains undocumented in available references.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
Conclusion
The Falmouth is a representative casualty of the fierce storms that regularly swept the Great Lakes in the late 19th century. Her loss with a cargo of wheat highlights the perils faced by commercial shipping and the hard choices made by crew in emergencies. Though her precise wreck location is not confirmed, the story of the cook refusing to abandon ship underscores the tragic human cost of Great Lakes maritime disasters.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Schooner
- Great Lakes shipping
- Grain trade
- Lake Erie
- 1880s shipwreck
- Breakwater collision
- Storm wreck