Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Hattie Hutt (formerly F.B. Stockbridge)
- Type: Wooden schooner
- Year Built: 1873
- Builder: Unknown yard, Saugatuck, Michigan
- Dimensions: ~105 ft (32 m) estimated length; ~295 tons
- Registered Tonnage: ~295 tons (A2 class)
- Depth at Wreck Site: 29.9 m / 98 ft
- Location: Wolfe Island Graveyard, near Nine Mile Point
- Coordinates: Approx. 44°09′N, 76°23′W
- Official Number: Not located
- Original Owners: Louis Hutt (Chicago), Ole Hansen (Manitowoc), Ottawa Transportation Co., Frank Granville (Chatham, ON), James Oliver (Kingston)
- Number of Masts: Two-masted
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Hattie Hutt was a late-19th-century wooden schooner, launched as F.B. Stockbridge in 1873 at Saugatuck, Michigan. Typical of A2-class Great Lakes cargo schooners, she was designed for bulk freight such as grain, lumber, and coal. At ~295 tons and ~105 ft long, she was robust, adaptable, and representative of the era’s utilitarian sailing freighters.
Description
By the 1920s, with wooden schooners obsolete, she was laid up in Kingston Harbour where she burned in 1929. In 1937, her remains were scuttled deliberately at Wolfe Island Graveyard.
History
Construction & Early Service (1873–1890s): Built at Saugatuck, Michigan, as F.B. Stockbridge, she carried grain and lumber across the Great Lakes. Over her career, she changed owners multiple times, including Louis Hutt of Chicago and Ole Hansen of Manitowoc.
Canadian Service (1900s–1920s): Later owned by Ottawa Transportation Co., then Frank Granville (Chatham, ON), and finally James Oliver (Kingston, ON). She served mainly in bulk cargo, part of the declining fleet of wooden schooners overshadowed by steam and steel vessels.
Demise: In 1929, while laid up in Kingston Harbour, the vessel was destroyed by fire. Rather than leave the hull as a derelict, it was later stripped and towed to Wolfe Island. In 1937, it was scuttled as part of the organized Kingston ship graveyard, along with other retired wooden hulls.
Significant Incidents
- 1929: The vessel burned while laid up in Kingston Harbour.
- 1937: Scuttled at Wolfe Island Graveyard.
Final Disposition
The hull was intentionally sunk in 1937 at Wolfe Island Graveyard, Nine Mile Point, joining other obsolete wooden schooners and steamers. Today, the wreck lies broken but recognizable, with collapsed timbers, wire coils, and scattered fittings visible.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Rediscovered in fall 2003 during Wolfe Island Graveyard technical dive surveys (Northern Tech Diver, reported by Wrecks and Reefs). Dive advisories caution of collapse hazards, wire entanglement, and fragile timbers.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”hattie-hutt-c-112190-f-b-stockbridge” title=”References & Links” show_ref_button=”yes”]
Access is by boat from Kingston, with entry points near the Sarnor wreck. Divers are reminded to respect the site and adhere to Ontario’s Heritage Act, which prohibits artifact removal. Remember to leave only bubbles and take only memories.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
Join Shotline to read more →