Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: H.S. Fairchild
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1857
- Builder: George Hardison
- Dimensions: 140 ft (42.7 m) X 26 ft (7.9 m); Depth not recorded (likely ~10 ft/3 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 373 tons
- Location: Off Long Point, Lake Erie
- Official Number: 11136
- Original Owners: Hosea Rogers, later Coatesworth et al.
- Number of Masts: Three-masted
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Three-masted schooner, constructed for cargo transport on the Great Lakes.
Description
- Builder: George Hardison
- Build Location: Rochester, NY
- Hull: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Length: 140 ft (42.7 m)
- Beam: 26 ft (7.9 m)
- Depth: Not recorded (likely ~10 ft/3 m for this class)
- Tonnage (old measurement): 373 tons
History
- 1857: Built for Hosea Rogers, Rochester, NY; suffered a sprung foremast in the Straits of Mackinac the same year.
- 1858: Involved in a collision on Lake Erie with CITY OF TORONTO.
- 1860: Sprang a leak near the Manitou Islands while laden with grain.
- 1861–1864: Multiple dry dock repairs (notably at Clark’s Dry Dock, Detroit) and new outfitting; storm-damaged in 1863 on Lake Huron, losing most rigging.
- 1866–1868: Passed into Buffalo ownership (Coatesworth et al.); grounded near Buffalo; remeasured in 1868 to 287.83 gross tons.
- 1869: Sprang a leak while hauling iron ore from Marquette to Buffalo.
- 1871: Final voyage from Milwaukee to Buffalo with wheat; lost in collision.
Significant Incidents
- Collision with the schooner HARVEST HOME on 6 October 1871, resulting in sinking.
Final Disposition
On 6 October 1871, while bound from Milwaukee, WI, to Buffalo, NY, the H.S. Fairchild collided with the schooner HARVEST HOME off Long Point, Lake Erie. She quickly sank, resulting in a total loss. No fatalities reported.
Current Condition & Accessibility
There is no confirmed modern discovery or dive documentation of the wreck off Long Point. She remains one of Lake Erie’s many unlocated 19th-century schooner losses.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”h-s-fairchild-us-11136″ title=”References & Links”]
The H.S. Fairchild exemplified the large wooden schooners active in grain and bulk freight trades during the mid-19th century on the Great Lakes. Despite her repeated survival of groundings, leaks, and storms, she met her end in a navigational accident—one of many reminders of the hazards faced by sailing vessels during the busy fall shipping season on Lake Erie.
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(s): H.S. Fairchild
- Official Number: 11136
- Year Built: 1857
- Final Location: Off Long Point, Lake Erie
- Date Lost: 6 October 1871
- How Lost: Collision with schooner HARVEST HOME
- Final Cargo: Wheat
Vessel Type
Three-masted schooner, constructed for cargo transport on the Great Lakes.
Description
- Builder: George Hardison
- Build Location: Rochester, NY
- Hull: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Length: 140 ft (42.7 m)
- Beam: 26 ft (7.9 m)
- Depth: Not recorded (likely ~10 ft/3 m for this class)
- Tonnage (old measurement): 373 tons
History
- 1857: Built for Hosea Rogers, Rochester, NY; suffered a sprung foremast in the Straits of Mackinac the same year.
- 1858: Involved in a collision on Lake Erie with CITY OF TORONTO.
- 1860: Sprang a leak near the Manitou Islands while laden with grain.
- 1861–1864: Multiple dry dock repairs (notably at Clark’s Dry Dock, Detroit) and new outfitting; storm-damaged in 1863 on Lake Huron, losing most rigging.
- 1866–1868: Passed into Buffalo ownership (Coatesworth et al.); grounded near Buffalo; remeasured in 1868 to 287.83 gross tons.
- 1869: Sprang a leak while hauling iron ore from Marquette to Buffalo.
- 1871: Final voyage from Milwaukee to Buffalo with wheat; lost in collision.
Final Disposition
On 6 October 1871, while bound from Milwaukee, WI, to Buffalo, NY, the H.S. Fairchild collided with the schooner HARVEST HOME off Long Point, Lake Erie. She quickly sank, resulting in a total loss. No fatalities reported.
Located By & Date Found
There is no confirmed modern discovery or dive documentation of the wreck off Long Point. She remains one of Lake Erie’s many unlocated 19th-century schooner losses.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection
- Newspaper Clippings (1871 Lake Erie marine news)
Conclusion
The H.S. Fairchild exemplified the large wooden schooners active in grain and bulk freight trades during the mid-19th century on the Great Lakes. Despite her repeated survival of groundings, leaks, and storms, she met her end in a navigational accident—one of many reminders of the hazards faced by sailing vessels during the busy fall shipping season on Lake Erie.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
Keywords: schooner, collision, Long Point, Lake Erie, wheat cargo, grain trade
Categories: 19th-century sailing vessels, grain schooners, Great Lakes collisions, Lake Erie shipwrecks
Glossary:
- Sprung leak: When a vessel’s hull becomes compromised and begins taking on water
- Foremast: The forward-most mast on a three-masted schooner
- Remeasured: When a vessel’s dimensions or capacity were officially revised