Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Harold
- Type: Schooner Barge
- Year Built: 1891
- Builder: West Bay City, Michigan
- Dimensions: Length: 190 ft (57.9 m); Beam: 34 ft (10.4 m); Depth of hold: 13 ft (4.0 m)
- Registered Tonnage: Gross Tonnage: 718; Net Tonnage: 682
- Location: Nesterville, Ontario, Canada
- Official Number: 96114 (U.S.)
- Original Owners: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Harold was classified as a schooner barge, primarily designed for the transportation of bulk cargo, especially lumber.
Description
The Harold was a schooner barge built in 1891 in West Bay City, Michigan. Designed primarily for hauling bulk cargo, particularly lumber, she was a common sight on the upper Great Lakes routes. The barge measured 190 feet (57.9 metres) in length, 34 feet (10.4 metres) in beam, and 13 feet (4.0 metres) in depth, with a gross tonnage of 718.
History
Operating under U.S. registry with home port in Milwaukee, the Harold was regularly engaged in the lumber trade throughout the northern Great Lakes region. On November 18, 1915, while loading approximately 500,000 board feet of lumber at the Thessalon Lumber Company dock in Nesterville, Ontario, a fire broke out aboard the vessel. Despite the crew of seven escaping safely, the vessel burned to the waterline and was deemed a total loss.
The barge was then towed to a nearby island and scuttled to extinguish the fire completely and clear the dock area. Reports in the Toronto Globe confirmed the Nesterville location, and it is accepted over conflicting reports placing the fire in Spragge, Ontario—a location nearly 50 miles distant.
Significant Incidents
- Fire broke out on November 18, 1915, while loading lumber.
- The crew of seven escaped safely.
- The vessel burned to the waterline and was declared a total loss.
Final Disposition
Burned at dockside while loading lumber at Nesterville, Ontario, and subsequently scuttled near a nearby island. Declared a total loss with the estimated value of cargo and vessel at $15,000.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The Harold is not charted, and its location is inferred from dock records and historical newspapers.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”harold-us-96114″ title=”References & Links”]
The Harold‘s destruction reflects the high-risk nature of early 20th-century lumber transport on the Great Lakes. The rapid spread of fire, even while docked, and the subsequent need to scuttle the vessel underscore the dangers these wooden barges faced. Her final act as a scuttled wreck near Nesterville closes a chapter on an era when schooner barges were integral to the regional economy.
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: Harold
- Vessel Type: Schooner Barge
- Official Number: 96114 (U.S.)
- Year Built: 1891
- Builder: West Bay City, Michigan
- Dimensions:
- Length: 190 feet (57.9 metres)
- Beam: 34 feet (10.4 metres)
- Depth: 13 feet (4.0 metres)
- Gross Tonnage: 718
- Net Tonnage: 682
- Home Port: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
- Final Location: Nesterville, Ontario, Canada
- Final Disposition: Burned and scuttled; total loss
- Date Lost: November 18, 1915
Description
The Harold was a schooner barge built in 1891 in West Bay City, Michigan. Designed primarily for hauling bulk cargo, particularly lumber, she was a common sight on the upper Great Lakes routes. The barge measured 190 feet (57.9 metres) in length, 34 feet (10.4 metres) in beam, and 13 feet (4.0 metres) in depth, with a gross tonnage of 718.
History
Operating under U.S. registry with home port in Milwaukee, the Harold was regularly engaged in the lumber trade throughout the northern Great Lakes region. On November 18, 1915, while loading approximately 500,000 board feet of lumber at the Thessalon Lumber Company dock in Nesterville, Ontario, a fire broke out aboard the vessel. Despite the crew of seven escaping safely, the vessel burned to the waterline and was deemed a total loss.
The barge was then towed to a nearby island and scuttled to extinguish the fire completely and clear the dock area. Reports in the Toronto Globe confirmed the Nesterville location, and it is accepted over conflicting reports placing the fire in Spragge, Ontario—a location nearly 50 miles distant.
Final Disposition
Burned at dockside while loading lumber at Nesterville, Ontario, and subsequently scuttled near a nearby island. Declared a total loss with the estimated value of cargo and vessel at $15,000.
Located By & Date Found
Nil
Notmars & Advisories
Not charted; location inferred from dock records and historical newspapers
Resources & Links
- [The Marine Review, February 1916]
- [Merchant Vessel List of the U.S., 1915–1916]
- [Toronto Globe, November 19, 1915]
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes Archive
- Save Ontario Shipwrecks
Conclusion
The Harold‘s destruction reflects the high-risk nature of early 20th-century lumber transport on the Great Lakes. The rapid spread of fire, even while docked, and the subsequent need to scuttle the vessel underscore the dangers these wooden barges faced.Her final act as a scuttled wreck near Nesterville closes a chapter on an era when schooner barges were integral to the regional economy.
Keywords: Harold, schooner barge, Nesterville, Spragge, Thessalon Lumber Company, Great Lakes shipwreck, fire, scuttled
Categories: Great Lakes Shipwrecks, Maritime History, Schooner Barges
Glossary Terms: Gross Tonnage, Scuttling, Schooner Barge, Lumber Trade
harold-us-96114 1915-11-11 13:21:00