Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Hannah Etty
- Type: Wooden two-masted schooner
- Year Built: 1864
- Builder: Two Creeks, Wisconsin
- Dimensions: Length 71 ft (21.6 m); Beam 20 ft (6.1 m); Depth of hold 6 ft (1.8 m)
- Registered Tonnage: Approximately 60 Gross Register Tons
- Location: ~13 km (8 miles) south of Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- Number of Masts: Two
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Hannah Etty was a small coastal schooner typical of Great Lakes freight carriers during the 19th century. With a shallow draft and modest tonnage, it was ideal for inland port delivery and short-route cargo transport, particularly building materials like wood and coal.
Description
Built in Two Creeks, Wisconsin, the vessel was engaged in regular trade routes between Manitowoc and Milwaukee. Designed for near-shore navigation, she featured a simple, robust construction suited for the unpredictable weather on Lake Michigan.
History
On the night of 26 August 1880, while lightly loaded with wood and coal and bound south for Milwaukee, the Hannah Etty began taking on water amid deteriorating weather. About 8 miles south of Sheboygan, she sprang a leak and capsized. The crew launched their yawl, though it had no oars, and drifted helplessly until sighted and rescued by the Sheboygan Life-Saving Station (U.S. Life-Saving Service Station No. 16) early the next morning.
The derelict vessel, now swamped, drifted into shore and was driven onto the beach approximately 6 miles south of Sheboygan, where it quickly broke apart in the surf. The cargo and hull were a total loss.
Significant Incidents
Period newspaper coverage from the Milwaukee Sentinel (August 28, 1880) confirms the capsizing, the rescue of the crew by the Sheboygan life-saving team, and the vessel’s destruction in the surf.
The 1880 Annual Report of the U.S. Life-Saving Service details the time and weather conditions of the wreck, the status of the yawl, and the crew’s condition on rescue.
Final Disposition
No salvage attempt was recorded. The vessel was left to break up along the shoreline. No formal archaeological dives or sonar scans have been documented at this location, but shallow coastal erosion could occasionally reveal wooden structural remnants.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Never officially rediscovered; the site remains unmarked in current maritime records.
Resources & Links
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The Hannah Etty exemplifies the risks faced by 19th-century lake schooners operating under minimal safety conditions. The successful rescue of all crew members is a testament to the effectiveness of the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Her loss remains a poignant example of a working vessel claimed by the very waters she helped navigate.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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