Forest Chief (1853)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: FOREST CHIEF
• Type: Scow Schooner
• Year Built: 1853
• Builder: J.R. Norton
• Dimensions: Length: 91 ft 8 in (27.9 m); Beam: 21 ft 11 in (6.7 m); Depth: 6 ft 1.5 in (1.9 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 110 87/95
• Location: Cleveland Harbor, Ohio, Lake Erie
• Official Number: None (pre-registration era)
• Original Owners: C.M. & A.D. Hemenway, Ashtabula, Ohio; later Butler of Buffalo
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

FOREST CHIEF was a wooden scow schooner, a form commonly used on the Great Lakes for its simplicity and low construction cost. With its broad, flat hull, the scow schooner was practical for carrying heavy bulk cargoes and was often used in shallow ports or undeveloped harbours.

Description

Launched in 1853 from Ashtabula, Ohio, the FOREST CHIEF was registered for the grain and lumber trade typical of mid-century Great Lakes schooners. She was first enrolled at Cleveland in May 1853 and later at Buffalo, New York, reflecting a working trade route between ports. The vessel changed ownership several times, including Butler of Buffalo by 1860.

In September 1862, the schooner became waterlogged off Dunkirk, New York, but survived that incident. The following month, on October 10, 1862, she missed the Cleveland harbour entrance during a severe gale, driving ashore just east of the piers. Though initially stranded, the FOREST CHIEF was broken apart by another storm two weeks later, marking a total loss.

History

Destroyed after missing harbor entrance and going ashore in a gale; broken up by a subsequent storm.

Significant Incidents

• September 1862: The schooner became waterlogged off Dunkirk, New York, but survived.
• October 10, 1862: Missed the Cleveland harbor entrance during a severe gale, drove ashore east of the piers.
• October 24, 1862: The vessel was broken apart by another storm two weeks after going ashore.

Final Disposition

No modern archaeological survey or known sonar discovery; presumed completely lost and broken up.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No known remains.

Resources & Links

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FOREST CHIEF represents the practical, workhorse scow schooner so vital to the grain and lumber trades of the 19th-century Great Lakes. Her loss off Cleveland in 1862 illustrates the vulnerability of these wooden vessels to sudden storms and the navigational challenges of harbour entries in rough weather.