Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Green Bay (1869)

Explore the wreck of the Green Bay, a wooden schooner-barge destroyed during the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. No diving interest remains due to urban redevelopment.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Green Bay
  • Type: Wooden schooner-barge
  • Year Built: circa 1869
  • Builder: Likely Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
  • Registered Tonnage: Not recorded; similar to contemporary schooners (<200 tons)
  • Location: Docked at Chicago, Illinois

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Green Bay was classified as a wooden schooner-barge, likely used for transporting lumber or bulk cargo through the Green Bay and Chicago routes.

Description

This vessel was constructed in 1869 and was a typical example of 19th-century maritime trade vessels. It featured a single-deck wooden rig and was designed for regional transport.

History

The Green Bay was launched in 1869 and operated primarily in the Great Lakes region. It was caught in the Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871, which resulted in extensive damage to the vessel while it was docked.

Significant Incidents

  • 1869: Construction and launching in Green Bay, WI.
  • 1871 Fire Incident: Caught in the Great Chicago Fire, which extended to vessels and docklands.
  • Aftermath: The hull was deemed irrecoverable and was not rebuilt.

Final Disposition

The hull of the Green Bay was lost in the fire, and it was subsequently removed from official listings.

Current Condition & Accessibility

There are no markings or underwater wreckage remaining from the Green Bay, as the basin has been redeveloped since the fire. There is no modern diving interest in the site, and remains are unlikely to exist due to urban reconstruction.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”green-bay-1869″ title=”References & Links”]

The Green Bay serves as a reminder of the collateral maritime damage caused by the Great Chicago Fire, one of North America’s most notorious urban disasters. Despite her loss, no crew harm was recorded, and little is known about her service history.

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

  • Vessel Name: Green Bay
  • Year Built: circa 1869
  • Build Location: Likely Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • Vessel Type: Wooden schooner-barge
  • Hull Material: Wood
  • Final Disposition: Destroyed by fire while moored in Chicago
  • Date of Loss: October 8–10, 1871
  • Location: Docked at Chicago, Illinois, when lost during the Great Chicago Fire
  • Cause: Destroyed in conflagration; hull severely damaged—total loss
  • Casualties: None recorded regarding the vessel or crew
  • Noteworthy: Fire occurred simultaneously with the Peshtigo and other Upper Midwest fires (linkstothepast.com, wisconsinshipwrecks.org, Digital History, gregoryology.com, wisconsinshipwrecks.org, National Weather Service)

Vessel Details

  • Type: Schooner or schooner-barge
  • Role: Likely used for lumber or bulk cargo transport through Green Bay and Chicago routes
  • Gross Tonnage: Not recorded; similar to contemporary schooners (<200 tons)
  • Configuration: Single-deck, wooden rig

Operational History

  • 1869: Construction and launching in Green Bay, WI
  • 1871 Fire Incident: While docked in Chicago, the vessel was caught in the Great Chicago Fire, which extended out to vessels and docklands (Digital History, linkstothepast.com)
  • Aftermath: Fire damage was extensive; the hull was deemed irrecoverable and was not rebuilt (manitouislandsarchives.org)

Final Disposition

  • Destruction: Hull lost in fire.
  • Registry: Removed post-fire from official listings.

Sources & References

  • Historical records from Chicago fire aftermath note “several vessels … destroyed … in the Chicago fire” (Facebook, linkstothepast.com)
  • The Great Chicago Fire (Oct 8–10, 1871) consumed warehouses, docks, and ships along the riverfront (Wikipedia)
  • No listings found post-1871 for the Green Bay ship in Great Lakes vessel registries

Notmars & Wreck Site Status

  • No markings or underwater wreckage; basin redeveloped since then
  • No modern diving interest; remains unlikely to exist due to urban reconstruction

Conclusion

The Green Bay was a typical 19th-century schooner or schooner‑barge engaged in regional trade. She met her end in one of North America’s most notorious urban disasters—the Great Chicago Fire of October 8–10, 1871—where dockside storage and vessels alike were consumed. Despite her loss, no crew harm was recorded, and little is known about her service. Her destruction exemplifies the collateral maritime damage that accompanied this widespread inferno.

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