Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: James Garrett
- Type: Three-masted wooden schooner
- Year Built: 1868
- Builder: Stokes in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- Dimensions: 138 ft (42.1 m) × 27 ft (8.2 m) × 9 ft (2.7 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 266 tons (253 net)
- Location: Lily Bay, Whitefish Bay, Lake Michigan
- Official Number: 13875
- Number of Masts: Three
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A three-masted wooden schooner designed for oceangoing freight, particularly suited for bulk loads such as lumber, coal, and wood over Great Lakes routes.
Description
Built in 1868 at Sheboygan, James Garrett was a classic mid-19th-century Great Lakes freight schooner with three masts and a full-bodied hull tailored to carry heavy cargo. Measuring 138 ft in length, she was a common sight in timber trade corridors, favoured for her cargo capacity. The vessel’s seasoned wooden framework and rigging made her reliable for coastal transport—until she met severe weather in 1889.
History
During her 21 years of service, the James Garrett operated along Lake Michigan’s trade routes, carrying timber and other bulk goods between Wisconsin and Michigan ports. She reportedly ran aground once before, on Beaver Island in 1871, but was refloated. On 29 May 1889, after loading 200 cords of firewood at Mashek’s pier in Lily Bay, she dropped anchor to await favourable weather. Overnight, a powerful spring gale struck Whitefish Bay. Her anchor cable failed to hold, and she was driven ashore, wrecked on rocky or shallow shoreline. By 31 May she had broken apart and was deemed a complete loss. Her crew survived without injury.
Significant Incidents
- Ran aground on Beaver Island in 1871 but was refloated.
- Lost on 25 May 1889 after being driven ashore by a gale.
Final Disposition
The schooner was thoroughly wrecked—pounded apart onshore and abandoned. No attempt at salvage appears to have been made; she remains a debris field rather than a cohesive wreck site.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No recorded location or rediscovery. Since her remains were likely dispersed and ultimately scavenged, no modern wreck site is documented. Not marked on navigational charts; unlikely to present an underwater hazard today. No buoy or obstruction notice associated with the site.
Resources & Links
The James Garrett reflects the era’s industrious, utilitarian schooners—key freight carriers in the late-19th-century Great Lakes timber trade. Losing her to a spring gale underscores how even sturdy, well-served schooners were vulnerable to sudden windstorms. Though entirely destroyed on shore, her story adds to the broader narrative of Great Lakes maritime commerce and the challenges of weather-exposed operations.