Shotline Diving

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I. Watson Stephenson US 100597

Explore the remains of the I. Watson Stephenson, a wooden steambarge scuttled in 1935 to form a breakwater in Cleveland, Ohio.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: I. Watson Stephenson
  • Type: Wooden steambarge
  • Year Built: 1895
  • Builder: F.W. Wheeler & Co., West Bay City, MI
  • Dimensions: 172 ft × 35 ft × 11.9 ft (~52 m × 10.7 m × 3.6 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: 639.26 GT / 501.08 NT
  • Location: Stadium Yacht Basin, Cleveland, OH
  • Official Number: 100597
  • Original Owners: Stephenson Transportation Co., Nessen Transportation Co., Saginaw Bay Co., Boom Boiler & Welding Co.
  • Number of Masts: 1

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Wooden steambarge, one deck, equipped with cabin, dining room, and gallery atop enclosed afterspace. Steel chord and diagonal strap framing, with a steel boiler-house and electric lighting. Sister ship of Minnie E. Kelton.

Description

The I. Watson Stephenson was a wooden steambarge built for the lumber trade, featuring a single-screw propulsion system powered by a compound engine. It was designed to carry approximately 725,000 board feet of lumber and was equipped with electric lighting.

History

Launched on May 11, 1895, the vessel served in the lumber trade on Lakes Michigan and Superior until 1898. It underwent several ownership changes and rebuilds throughout its service life, including significant updates to its boiler and steam plant in 1911 and 1920. The vessel was ultimately designated as abandoned in 1935 and scuttled in July of that year to form a breakwater in Cleveland.

Significant Incidents

  • 23 Aug 1898: Grounded and struck by towbarge Advance at Sturgeon Bay, WI.

Final Disposition

The I. Watson Stephenson was deliberately scuttled in mid-July 1935 as part of the breakwater at Stadium Yacht Basin. The hulk was burned on March 31, 1936, and subsequently built over as dock infrastructure.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The site is likely buried or built upon by modern docking infrastructure, making typical underwater survey implausible. No ROV or archaeological documentation is known, and the site functions more as historical maritime reuse than a dive site.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”i-watson-stephenson-us-100597″ title=”References & Links”]

The I. Watson Stephenson represents a significant example of late-19th-century steambarges, reflecting the lifecycle of industrial vessels and their adaptive reuse in maritime infrastructure.

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: I. Watson Stephenson (registered to Stephenson Transportation Co., Peshtigo, WI)
  • Official Number: 100597
  • Built: Launched May 11, 1895 by F.W. Wheeler & Co., West Bay City, MI (Hull #107)
  • Vessel Type: Wooden steambarge, one deck, equipped with cabin, dining room, and gallery atop enclosed afterspace. Steel chord & diagonal strap framing, with a steel boiler-house and electric lighting, sister ship of Minnie E. Kelton
  • Final Disposition: Scuttled mid-July 1935 at Stadium Yacht Basin, Cleveland, OH to form breakwater; hulk burned on March 31, 1936, dock built atop remains

Vessel Characteristics

  • Hull Material: Wood (with steel structural reinforcements)
  • Decks: 1
  • Dimensions: 172′ × 35′ × 11.9′ (~52 m × 10.7 m × 3.6 m)
  • Tonnage: 639.26 GT / 501.08 NT
  • Cargo Capacity: ~725,000 board feet of lumber
  • Propulsion: Single-screw powered by compound (two-cylinder, 18″ × 36″) engine with 495 hp at ~100 rpm, operating at 135 psi via a Scotch boiler built by Cleveland Shipbuilding Company; carried electric lighting

Service & Ownership Timeline

  • 1895–1898 – Served in lumber trade on Lakes Michigan & Superior under original owner, Stephenson Transportation Co.
  • 23 Aug 1898 – Grounded and struck by towbarge Advance at Sturgeon Bay, WI
  • 1905 – Chartered to Hines Lumber Co.
  • Mar 1911 – Underwent rebuilding at Sturgeon Bay, including boiler and steam plant update
  • 1920 – Another rebuild to reinforce vessel for continued service
  • 27 Feb 1923 – Ownership transferred to Nessen Transportation Co., Manistee, MI
  • 25 Mar 1926 – Sold to Saginaw Bay Co. (Northern Ohio Lumber & Timber Co.), Cleveland
  • 1933 – Purchased by Boom Boiler & Welding Co.; engine and boiler removed, vessel stripped for non-navigational use
  • 31 May 1935 – Enrollment surrendered; designated “abandoned”
  • Jul 1935 – Scuttled at Cleveland as part of the breakwater in Stadium Yacht Basin
  • 31 Mar 1936 – Hulk burned and built over as dock infrastructure

Final Disposition & Wreck Context

  • Deliberately scuttled as a structural breakwater—no unplanned wreck—making it a purposefully placed underwater artifact rather than an accidental shipwreck
  • Burned hull in 1936 suggests only lower timbers and framing remain; no recorded Notices to Mariners flagged her as hazard

Site Status & Survey Potential

  • Location: Within Stadium Yacht Basin, Cleveland, likely buried or built upon by modern docking infrastructure
  • Condition: Intentional scuttling and subsequent overbuilding renders typical underwater survey implausible
  • Not Surveyed: No ROV or archaeological documentation known; site functions more as historical maritime reuse than dive site

Archival Notes & Sources

  • Conversion to breakwater documented in archival records and marine histories
  • Notice of sinking used to augment Yacht Basin defenses recorded in local maritime press and Cleveland municipal archives
  • Rebuilds and engine/boiler specifics confirmed via shipyard and ownership documents
  • Confirmation of scuttling as breakwater: Cleveland yacht basin engineering records, 1935–36

Significance & Recommendations

  • Historical Significance: Reflects the lifecycle of late-19th-century steambarges—built for lumber, adapted over decades, culminating in industrial end-of-life reuse
  • Research Opportunities: Retrieve Cleveland municipal engineering records, Boom Boiler & Welding Co. logs, and 1930s yacht basin construction files; aerial photos from mid-1930s may show scuttled hull position
  • Archaeological Interest: Low as a dive target, but high archival value for industrial adaptation studies; structural remains may exist under Basin fill

Keywords

wooden steambarge, lumber trade, compound engine, Cleveland breakwater, intentional scuttling, industrial reuse, 1895 steamer, maritime adaptive reuse

i-watson-stephenson-us-100597 1935-07-19 10:54:00