Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Francis
- Type: Wooden schooner or small steam-propeller (unclear)
- Year Built: 1866
- Builder:
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Unrecorded Great Lakes; no coordinates or region specified
- Original Owners: Presumed U.S.
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
No specific technical descriptions of Francis are available. As a mid–19th-century wooden vessel, she would have been constructed of timber framing and planking. Without clarity on propulsion (sailing schooner vs. steam–propeller), details such as engine type or rigging remain unknown.
Description
Historical records offer no operational logs, ownership details, or voyage history for Francis. She appears briefly in registry lists and loss summaries without supporting context. Her name does not appear in casualty reports, newspapers, or maritime archives of the era—suggesting her loss was unremarkable or undocumented at the time.
History
Listed simply as “wrecked” in October 1888 within registry records, but lacking supporting detail—indicating neither salvage nor formal wreck investigation occurred. Her final disposition remains unknown.
Significant Incidents
No recorded discovery or survey of wreck remains. The site is unlocated and uninvestigated.
Final Disposition
None noted; given the absence of location data, Francis did not generate marine hazard notices.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Francis is an enigmatic footnote in Great Lakes maritime history—a vessel built in 1866 and lost in October 1888, yet bereft of contextual data. The lack of registry detail, absence of location or casualty records, and unlocated wreck make her story one of many unremarked losses. Francis awaits rediscovery, and until then contributes only to the census of vanished 19th-century vessels.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”francis-1866″ title=”References & Links”]
Possible tags: maritime disappearance, 19th-century wooden vessel, registry loss only, unlocated wreck, undocumented casualty.
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