Josephine US 12980

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Josephine
• Type: Wooden schooner, 2-masted
• Year Built: 1864
• Builder: Wyburg, Fish Creek, Wisconsin
• Dimensions: 42 ft (12.8 m) × 11.6 ft (3.5 m) × 5 ft (1.5 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 21.84 gross tons
• Location: Near Michigan Island, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior
• Coordinates: N 46° 52.295′, W 090° 30.956′
• Official Number: 12980 (alternate: 75643 in Labadie Collection)
• Original Owners: Captain Brown
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Josephine was a wooden two-masted schooner, typical of the light traders that supplied isolated communities around Lake Michigan and Lake Superior in the mid-19th century.

Description

Measuring just 42 feet in length and under 22 gross tons, she was well-suited for carrying groceries, provisions, and small cargoes between smaller ports where larger schooners could not easily navigate.

History

Built in 1864 at Fish Creek, Wisconsin, by shipbuilder Wyburg, the Josephine entered service as a coastal supply schooner. In April 1869, she collided with an unidentified vessel near Milwaukee, sustaining damage but was subsequently repaired and returned to service. Throughout the 1870s, she remained in regional trade under the ownership and command of Captain Brown, carrying groceries, flour, and general provisions to frontier communities on the Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay.

Significant Incidents

On 4 November 1877, while under Captain Brown’s command, the Josephine struck rocks near Michigan Island in the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Her cargo of flour, sugar, and groceries was mostly saved, but the vessel herself was declared a total loss.

The *Bayfield County Press* reported on 14 November 1877:

“Capt. Brown’s schooner, the Josephine, was wrecked last week on the rocks near Michigan Island. She had a cargo of flour, sugar, and other groceries on board, most of which were saved. The vessel was a total loss.”

Final Disposition

The Josephine was lost on the rocks near Michigan Island and declared a total constructive loss. No salvage of the vessel was recorded, though the cargo was largely recovered. No remains are known to survive above the lakebed, and no archaeological surveys have identified her wreckage in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Wreck site not located. Last seen near Michigan Island, Apostle Islands. Remains likely dispersed or buried nearshore.

Resources & Links

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Not a known dive site. Remains unconfirmed. Nearest dive access: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Michigan Island. Depth Range: Presumed shallow (<20 ft / 6 m). Emergency Contacts: USCG Station Bayfield, WI. Permits: Required for archaeological excavation (NPS jurisdiction). Dive Support: Bayfield and Apostle Islands dive operators.