Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Flora Temple
- Type: Scow Schooner
- Year Built: 1866
- Builder: St. Joseph, Michigan
- Dimensions: Length ~30 ft (9.14 m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: 6.5 gross tons
- Location: Lake Michigan, ~9 miles north of Racine, Wisconsin
- Coordinates: Approx. nine miles Milwaukee/Racine boundary
- Official Number: 9302
- Number of Masts: Single mast or unstayed sail arrangement typical for its class
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Community-scale scow schooner, cargo/light usage, flat bottom suited to shallow drafts, often served local short-haul routes.
Description
The Flora Temple was a small scow schooner built in 1866, measuring approximately 30 feet in length and weighing around 6.5 gross tons. Constructed of wood, it was designed for localized cargo transport.
History
Registered and built for localized cargo use, limited documentation exists beyond vessel registry entries and loss incident. It is noted as one of the smallest commercially registered vessels lost in Wisconsin waters, almost uniquely diminutive in size and tonnage.
Significant Incidents
- Date: July 26, 1870
- A sudden squall struck while she was en route from Chicago to Racine, driving the Flora Temple ashore approximately nine miles north of Racine.
- Outcome: Total wreck; hull destroyed; cargo (if any) survived or is unspecified. Full loss reported but no injuries or fatalities recorded.
- Valuation: $4,500 worth of vessel; insurance claim valued at ~$2,500 (secondary sources suggest $300 insurance, indicating possible discrepancies in reports).
Final Disposition
As a small scow schooner, no remains have been positively located, and given its diminutive size, the wreck is unlikely to remain intact or detectable after 150+ years. No known dive surveys or archaeological documentation exist for this wreck.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Flora Temple is thought to be one of the smallest vessels lost in Wisconsin waters and is likely fully deteriorated or buried in nearshore sands.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”flora-temple-us-9302″ title=”References & Links”]
The Flora Temple serves as a representative of the micro-fleet of 19th-century scow schooners that transported goods on Lake Michigan’s nearshore routes, demonstrating the vulnerability of even sheltered trades to sudden weather events.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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