Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: H. Marsh
- Type: schooner
- Year Built: 1838
- Builder: H. H. Trebout
- Dimensions: 54.9 ft × 16.2 ft × 6.3 ft (~16.7 × 4.9 × 1.9 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 47.92 register tons
- Location: Driven ashore near the mouth of White Lake, approximately 10 miles north of Muskegon, Lake Michigan
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
- A small two-masted wooden schooner, registered for coastal freight and small cargoes, typical of early 19th-century Great Lakes commerce.
Description
Wooden hull, moderate beam and shallow draft suitable for near-shore trade. Built to carry lumber slabs or general goods along Lake Michigan’s western shore. Single deck, two masts, no auxiliary propulsion stated in records.
History
Operational from 1838 until her loss in 1840. Built in Cleveland by Trebout, she likely served lumber and wood slab transport routes between Michigan ports and smaller settlements. While her precise ownership and masters are not recorded in surviving online sources, she appears under Great Lakes shipping lists of the era alongside vessels like H. Rand and H.L. Whitman.
Significant Incidents
- Crew: Not fully recorded, but noted as small complement
- Casualties: None; crew swam ashore to safety when the schooner broke up in the gale.
Final Disposition
Caught in a violent storm on November 20, 1840, H. Marsh dragged ashore near White Lake. Pounded by surf and waves, she broke apart and was declared a total loss. Carrying lumber slabs at the time, she foundered offshore and likely washed up in pieces on shallow shoals.
Current Condition & Accessibility
There is no record of a located wreck. Since she broke up in near-shore waters and likely was salvaged or dispersed by winter ice, no surviving remains are catalogued in known underwater surveys.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”h-marsh-1838″ title=”References & Links”]
H. Marsh was a small coastal schooner built in 1838, plying Lake Michigan routes carrying lumber or general freight. On November 20, 1840, she was caught in a gale and driven ashore near White Lake, about 10 miles north of Muskegon. The vessel was pounded to pieces close to shore; the crew survived by swimming ashore. No vessel remains have ever been documented underwater. Historical information is limited to registry summaries and loss reports; further archival research in regional records could enrich the profile or locate physical evidence.
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.
(schooner, built 1838 – lost November 20, 1840, Lake Michigan, near White Lake / Muskegon area)
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: H. Marsh
- Build / Launch Year: 1838, Cleveland, Ohio, by H. H. Trebout
- Registered Tonnage: 47.92 register tons
- Dimensions: 54.9 ft × 16.2 ft × 6.3 ft (~16.7 × 4.9 × 1.9 m) (Baillod)
- Loss Date: November 20, 1840
- Location: Driven ashore near the mouth of White Lake, approximately 10 miles north of Muskegon, Lake Michigan (Baillod, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
Vessel Type
- A small two‑masted wooden schooner, registered for coastal freight and small cargoes, typical of early 19th‑century Great Lakes commerce.
Description
Wooden hull, moderate beam and shallow draft suitable for near‑shore trade. Built to carry lumber slabs or general goods along Lake Michigan’s western shore. Single deck, two masts, no auxiliary propulsion stated in records.
History
Operational from 1838 until her loss in 1840. Built in Cleveland by Trebout, she likely served lumber and wood slab transport routes between Michigan ports and smaller settlements. While her precise ownership and masters are not recorded in surviving online sources, she appears under Great Lakes shipping lists of the era alongside vessels like H. Rand and H.L. Whitman (Wisconsin Shipwrecks).
Crew / Casualties
- Crew: Not fully recorded, but noted as small complement
- Casualties: None; crew swam ashore to safety when the schooner broke up in the gale (The Guardian)
Final Disposition
Caught in a violent storm on November 20, 1840, H. Marsh dragged ashore near White Lake. Pounded by surf and waves, she broke apart and was declared a total loss. Carrying lumber slabs at the time, she foundered offshore and likely washed up in pieces on shallow shoals (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
Located By & Date Found
There is no record of a located wreck. Since she broke up in near‑shore waters and likely was salvaged or dispersed by winter ice, no surviving remains are catalogued in known underwater surveys.
Notices to Mariners & Advisories
No formal Notices to Mariners or governmental hazard bulletins appear in historical summaries. Heralded as a small, local incident with no long-term navigational hazard—None noted.
Resources & Links
- Wisconsin’s Undiscovered Maritime Archaeology Sites lists H. Marsh with builder, tonnage, dimensions and loss date/location (Baillod)
- Wisconsin Shipwrecks index confirms she’s registered among Lake Michigan schooners built in 1838 (Wisconsin Shipwrecks)
- Great Lakes Shipwreck Files – H list provides detail on storm-related loss and cargo description (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
Gaps & Further Research
- Ownership & command: Lack of registry logs or manifest records; further examination of enrollment records in Ohio and Michigan (Cleveland, Muskegon) could identify master, owner, and crew lists.
- Local newspaper archives (Muskegon, Whitehall, Grand Rapids area, November 1840) might include storm reports or small‑vessel loss notices.
- Port authority or commercial insurance files may hold claims or descriptions of cargo loss.
- Shoreline archaeology: Survey areas north of Muskegon off White Lake beach could reveal remnants (fasteners, timbers) consistent with the early schooner.
Conclusion
H. Marsh was a small coastal schooner built in 1838, plying Lake Michigan routes carrying lumber or general freight. On November 20, 1840, she was caught in a gale and driven ashore near White Lake, about 10 m north of Muskegon. The vessel was pounded to pieces close to shore; the crew survived by swimming ashore. No vessel remains have ever been documented underwater. Historical information is limited to registry summaries and loss reports; further archival research in regional records could enrich the profile or locate physical evidence.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Lake Michigan, White Lake, Muskegon, schooner, 1838 build, storm loss, lumber vessel, early Great Lakes shipping, near‑shore wreck, 1840 maritime incident.