Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: John Ritchie
- Type: Scow Schooner
- Year Built: 1870
- Builder: Abram Smith
- Dimensions: 125.2 ft (38.2 m); Beam: 27.3 ft (8.3 m); Depth of hold: 7.8 ft (2.4 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 205
- Location: Near Toledo, Ohio, Lake Erie
- Official Number: 45799
- Original Owners: NorthWest Transportation Co., Capt. S.B. Grummond
- Number of Masts: 1
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The John Ritchie was a wooden scow schooner—a flat-bottomed cargo vessel ideal for shallow waters and inland ports. Often used in the lumber trade, scow schooners were inexpensive to build and repair, typically operating under tow in later years.
Description
- Length: 125.2 ft (38.2 m)
- Beam: 27.3 ft (8.3 m)
- Depth: 7.8 ft (2.4 m)
- Tonnage (Gross): 205
- Cargo Capacity: 220,000 board feet of lumber
Built by Abram Smith at Algonac, Michigan, the vessel was purpose-built for lumber transport, with shallow draft and wide beam facilitating maximum deck-load capacity.
History
- 1870, Sept 9: Enrolled at Port Huron, MI.
- 1871: Owned by NorthWest Transportation Co., Detroit.
- 1871, Aug 18: Waterlogged and sank during storm; likely salvaged.
- 1873, Apr 16: Repaired and overhauled at Clark’s Shipyard, Detroit.
- 1877, Oct 19: Registered owner Capt. S.B. Grummond of Detroit.
- 1888, Jun 26: While under tow by the steamer Michigan, she sprang a leak during a gale near Toledo, Ohio. The Michigan attempted to bring her to port but she broke up and sank before reaching safety.
Significant Incidents
- Waterlogged and sank during a storm in 1871; likely salvaged.
- Foundered and disintegrated in a storm while being towed near Toledo, Ohio, in 1888.
Final Disposition
John Ritchie foundered and disintegrated in a storm while being towed near Toledo, Lake Erie. No loss of life is recorded, but the vessel and its cargo were a total loss.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No formal survey or rediscovery of wreck reported. Likely disintegrated in shallow waters off Toledo, Ohio.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”john-ritchie-us-45799″ title=”References & Links”]
John Ritchie was a typical scow schooner of the post-Civil War Great Lakes lumber boom. Though her operational life was marred by storms and accidents, her loss in 1888 underscores the risks of unpowered wooden vessels under tow in severe weather. She is a representative example of a disposable workhorse in the 19th-century lake trade.
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(s): John Ritchie
- Official Number: 45799
- Year Built: 1870
- Built At: Algonac, Michigan
- Vessel Type: Scow Schooner
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Final Disposition: Wrecked and sank
- Final Location: Near Toledo, Ohio, Lake Erie
- Date Lost: 26 June 1888
Vessel Type
The John Ritchie was a wooden scow schooner—a flat-bottomed cargo vessel ideal for shallow waters and inland ports. Often used in the lumber trade, scow schooners were inexpensive to build and repair, typically operating under tow in later years.
Description
- Length: 125.2 ft (38.2 m)
- Beam: 27.3 ft (8.3 m)
- Depth: 7.8 ft (2.4 m)
- Tonnage (Gross): 205
- Cargo Capacity: 220,000 board feet of lumber
Built by Abram Smith at Algonac, Michigan, the vessel was purpose-built for lumber transport, with shallow draft and wide beam facilitating maximum deck-load capacity.
History
- 1870, Sept 9: Enrolled at Port Huron, MI.
- 1871: Owned by NorthWest Transportation Co., Detroit.
- 1871, Aug 18: Waterlogged and sank during storm; likely salvaged.
- 1873, Apr 16: Repaired and overhauled at Clark’s Shipyard, Detroit.
- 1877, Oct 19: Registered owner Capt. S.B. Grummond of Detroit.
- 1888, Jun 26: While under tow by the steamer Michigan, she sprang a leak during a gale near Toledo, Ohio. The Michigan attempted to bring her to port but she broke up and sank before reaching safety.
Final Disposition
John Ritchie foundered and disintegrated in a storm while being towed near Toledo, Lake Erie. No loss of life is recorded, but the vessel and its cargo were a total loss.
Located By & Date Found
No formal survey or rediscovery of wreck reported. Likely disintegrated in shallow waters off Toledo, Ohio.
Notmar & Advisories
None currently listed for this wreck in the U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners database.
Resources & Links
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection
- Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory
- Peter J. VanderLinden Historical Files
- Newspaper Archives – Chronicling America
Conclusion
John Ritchie was a typical scow schooner of the post-Civil War Great Lakes lumber boom. Though her operational life was marred by storms and accidents, her loss in 1888 underscores the risks of unpowered wooden vessels under tow in severe weather. She is a representative example of a disposable workhorse in the 19th-century lake trade.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Keywords: scow schooner, Lake Erie, lumber carrier, storm wreck, towed vessels
- Categories: Great Lakes schooners, wooden freighters, Lake Erie shipwrecks
- Glossary:
- Scow Schooner: A flat-bottomed sailing vessel suited for shallow harbours
- Waterlogged: A vessel so saturated or low in the water it can no longer remain buoyant
- Towed Vessel: A vessel moved by another, typically a powered steamer or tug