Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Frank La Farge
- Type: Cargo Schooner / Small Propeller Vessel
- Year Built: 1901
- Builder:
- Dimensions: Unknown
- Registered Tonnage: Unknown
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Coordinates: Exact coordinates unknown
- Original Owners: Unknown
- Number of Masts: Unknown
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Likely a wooden-hulled cargo schooner or small propeller vessel consistent with early 20th-century Great Lakes small freighters, used for bulk commodities or general cargo.
Description
Specific dimensions, tonnage, propulsion, and owning details are not currently documented in the known shipwreck records.
History
- Built in 1901 and operated on Lake Michigan.
- During a storm, Frank La Farge stranded—likely driven ashore or onto a shoal.
- The vessel broke apart under wave action and was declared a total loss.
- No information on cargo or crew is available in primary records.
Significant Incidents
No significant incidents documented beyond the loss during a storm.
Final Disposition
As the vessel “broke up,” she was declared a total wreck. No salvage or documentation of recovery efforts is recorded. It’s presumed her remnants remain near the grounding site, possibly submerged or washed away over time.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No known archaeological survey or formal discovery of the wreck site. Without precise loss coordinates, the wreck remains unlocated.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”frank-la-farge-1901″ title=”References & Links”]
The brief record of Frank La Farge typifies numerous small, early-1900s lake freighters or tugs lost in storms without fanfare. A comprehensive profile requires detailed archival search for owner registries or press accounts. The wreck’s unlocated status suggests it was unsalvaged and scattered by wave action—a quiet but common casualty of Great Lakes storms.
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: Frank La Farge
- Year Built: 1901
- Final Disposition: Stranded and broke up
- Date Lost: (Not documented – within early 1900s undoubtedly close to build year)
- General Location: Lake Michigan (exact coordinates unknown)
- Loss Type: Grounding during a storm, vessel disintegrated
Vessel Type
Likely a wooden-hulled cargo schooner or small propeller vessel consistent with early 20th-century Great Lakes small freighters, used for bulk commodities or general cargo.
Description
Specific dimensions, tonnage, propulsion, and owning details are not currently documented in the known shipwreck records.
History & Final Voyage
- Built in 1901 and operated on Lake Michigan.
- During a storm, Frank La Farge stranded—likely driven ashore or onto a shoal.
- The vessel broke apart under wave action and was declared a total loss.
- No information on cargo or crew is available in primary records.
Final Disposition
As the vessel “broke up,” she was declared a total wreck. No salvage or documentation of recovery efforts is recorded. It’s presumed her remnants remain near the grounding site, possibly submerged or washed away over time.
Located By & Date Found
No known archaeological survey or formal discovery of the wreck site. Without precise loss coordinates, the wreck remains unlocated.
Notmar & Advisories
No Notices to Mariners issued. The event occurred before standardized hazard mapping and reporting of the period.
Resources & Links
- Great Lakes Shipwreck Files – Mention under “L” listings; summarized as stranded and broken up.
- Local maritime historical society archives and period newspapers may hold ancillary notices on the loss.
Conclusion
The brief record of Frank La Farge typifies numerous small, early-1900s lake freighters or tugs lost in storms without fanfare. A comprehensive profile requires detailed archival search for owner registries or press accounts. The wreck’s unlocated status suggests it was unsalvaged and scattered by wave action—a quiet but common casualty of Great Lakes storms.
Keywords & Glossary
- Keywords: Frank La Farge, shipwreck, 1901 grounding, Lake Michigan storm, Great Lakes vessel loss
- Categories: Storm losses, wooden schooners/tugs, undocumented wrecks
- Glossary:
- Stranded: Refers to a ship running aground, unable to free itself
- Broke up: When wave and weather action break a grounded vessel into unusable sections