H.S. Fairchild US 11136

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

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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.