John Rice – Lake Huron Schooner Shipwreck (1893)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: John Rice
• Type: Wooden Schooner
• Year Built: 1860
• Builder: Rice & McDole
• Dimensions: 107 ft (32.6 m); 23 ft; 8 ft
• Registered Tonnage: 154 gross / 147 net tons
• Location: ~40 miles off Thunder Bay Island
• Official Number: 12783
• Original Owners: Operated out of Chicago
• Number of Masts: Two-masted

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A two-masted wooden schooner, typical of mid-19th-century Great Lakes sailers engaged in light freight and fisheries-related trades such as hauling trap-net stakes for commercial fishing.

Description

Constructed as a narrow-beam sailing vessel fitted for freight and gear transport. At around 107 ft in length and 23 ft beam, rigged schooner-style, she was suitable for carrying spars, equipment, and light cargoes into fisheries or small ports of Lake Huron’s northern waters.

History

• Built in 1860 at Newport, MI, by local builders Rice & McDole, the schooner served regional trades along Lake Huron.
• Owned and operated out of Chicago for much of her career, according to registry and loss entry.
• On 3 July 1893, while carrying trap-net stakes, the vessel was approximately 40 miles off Thunder Bay Island, when she sprang a leak during fine weather. This led to sudden waterlogging and capsize, resulting in total loss.

Significant Incidents

• No lives were lost; the entire crew survived despite the capsize. No formal rescue details are recorded.
• The schooner capsized and foundered, sinking completely without public salvage record or later rediscovery. The wreck site has not been surveyed or documented by modern underwater exploration.

Final Disposition

• No lives were lost; the entire crew survived despite the capsize. No formal rescue details are recorded.
• The schooner capsized and foundered, sinking completely without public salvage record or later rediscovery. The wreck site has not been surveyed or documented by modern underwater exploration.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck site remains undocumented and has not been explored by modern divers, leaving its current condition unknown.

Resources & Links

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The loss of John Rice illustrates the unpredictability of small cargo vessels operating on the Huron frontier of the 1890s. Even in calm conditions, severe structural failures caused rapid sinking.