H. Marsh (1838)

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

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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.