Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Helen Blood
- Type: Wooden schooner
- Year Built: 1853
- Builder:
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Near a lighthouse pier, likely Lake Michigan or Lake Huron
- Coordinates: Exact coordinates not fully documented
- Original Owners: Not conclusively recorded
- Number of Masts: Two masts
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Helen Blood was a wooden two-masted schooner built for the lumber trade on the Great Lakes, a common design of the mid-19th century.
Description
Constructed with oak frames and pine planking, Helen Blood featured a single deck, open cargo hold, and fore-and-aft rigging. Her hull was built with a shallow draft to allow entry into smaller lumber ports and rivers, and her rig was optimized for sailing downwind with heavy cargoes.
History
Launched in 1853, Helen Blood worked nearly three decades moving lumber and other bulk cargoes across the upper lakes. On 31 July 1880, while carrying a cargo of lumber, she encountered a severe gale. Driven ashore near a lighthouse pier (the specific lighthouse is not noted in loss lists), the schooner grounded heavily, sustaining significant hull damage.
Though heavily damaged and expected to break up, contemporary records do not confirm whether she was eventually salvaged or fully destroyed in place. No loss of life was reported, suggesting the crew managed to get to safety on shore or via small boats.
Significant Incidents
- No fatalities reported.
Final Disposition
Listed as a constructive total loss following the grounding and storm damage. No conclusive salvage or later rebuilding is noted in surviving records.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No modern diver or archaeological records document the wreck site of the Helen Blood.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”helen-blood-1853″ title=”References & Links”]
The Helen Blood is another example of the many 19th-century lumber schooners lost or crippled by sudden Great Lakes gales. Her loss near a lighthouse pier — a point of refuge that ironically could not save her from the storm — is a telling reminder of how vulnerable wooden schooners were, even close to shore.
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
- Vessel Name: Helen Blood
- Type: Wooden schooner
- Year built and launched: 1853
- Owner: Not conclusively recorded
- Cargo: Lumber
- Date lost: 31 July 1880
- Location: Near a lighthouse pier, exact coordinates not fully documented (likely Lake Michigan or Lake Huron based on trade routes)
- Crew: No fatalities reported
Vessel Type
The Helen Blood was a wooden two-masted schooner built for the lumber trade on the Great Lakes, a common design of the mid-19th century.
Description
Constructed with oak frames and pine planking, Helen Blood featured a single deck, open cargo hold, and fore-and-aft rigging. Her hull was built with a shallow draft to allow entry into smaller lumber ports and rivers, and her rig was optimized for sailing downwind with heavy cargoes.
History
Launched in 1853, Helen Blood worked nearly three decades moving lumber and other bulk cargoes across the upper lakes. On 31 July 1880, while carrying a cargo of lumber, she encountered a severe gale. Driven ashore near a lighthouse pier (the specific lighthouse is not noted in loss lists), the schooner grounded heavily, sustaining significant hull damage.
Though heavily damaged and expected to break up, contemporary records do not confirm whether she was eventually salvaged or fully destroyed in place. No loss of life was reported, suggesting the crew managed to get to safety on shore or via small boats.
Final Dispositions
Listed as a constructive total loss following the grounding and storm damage. No conclusive salvage or later rebuilding is noted in surviving records.
Located By & Date Found
No modern diver or archaeological records document the wreck site of the Helen Blood.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Great Lakes Vessels Index (BGSU)
Conclusion
The Helen Blood is another example of the many 19th-century lumber schooners lost or crippled by sudden Great Lakes gales. Her loss near a lighthouse pier — a point of refuge that ironically could not save her from the storm — is a telling reminder of how vulnerable wooden schooners were, even close to shore.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Wooden schooner
- Lumber trade
- Lake Michigan
- Lake Huron
- Lighthouse pier
- Great Lakes storms
- Grounding
- 19th-century shipping
- Maritime history
If you’d like, I can help dig into lighthouse records to try to pinpoint exactly which pier this happened at — just let me know!
helen-blood-1853 1880-07-31 10:40:00