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
[shotline_reference_links slug=”josephine-us-12980″ title=”References & Links”]
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.
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.
Identification Card (Site Style)
Other Names: None
Official Number: 12980 (alternate: 75643 in Labadie Collection)
Registry: United States
Vessel Type: Wooden schooner, 2-masted
Builder: Wyburg, Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Year Built: 1864
Dimensions: 42 ft (12.8 m) × 11.6 ft (3.5 m) × 5 ft (1.5 m)
Tonnage: 21.84 gross tons
Rig: Schooner, two-masted
Propulsion: Sail
Cargo on Final Voyage: Flour, sugar, and assorted groceries
Date of Loss: 4 November 1877
Cause of Loss: Wrecked on rocks near Michigan Island
Final Location: Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, near Michigan Island
Coordinates: N 46° 52.295′, W 090° 30.956′ (Google Maps link)
Depth: Nearshore, shallow
Home Port: Not recorded (operated out of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior ports)
Owners: Captain Brown
Crew: Unknown
Casualties: None
Description
The Josephine was a small wooden two-masted schooner, typical of the light traders that supplied isolated communities around Lake Michigan and Lake Superior in the mid-19th century. 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.
Final Voyage
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.
Located By & Date Found
Wreck site not located. Last seen near Michigan Island, Apostle Islands. Remains likely dispersed or buried nearshore.
Notmars & Advisories
None issued. Site not an active navigational hazard.
Dive Information
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
Crew & Casualty Memorials
No lives lost. No known memorials.
Registry, Enrollment & Insurance Trails
Official No. 12980 (alternate registry no. 75643 reported in C. Patrick Labadie Collection). Built 1864 at Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Owned and operated by Captain Brown. Enrollment surrendered following wreck, November 1877.
Site Documentation & Imaging
No known wreck documentation or survey imaging exists. Loss recorded only in contemporary newspapers and vessel registries.
Resources & Links
- Wisconsin Historical Society – Maritime Preservation Program
- Great Lakes Vessels Database (BGSU/HCGL)
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Chronicling America – Newspaper Archives
References
- *Bayfield County Press*, 14 November 1877 (contemporary wreck report).
- BGSU Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, vessel card file.
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection – registry documentation.
NOAA/WHS Shipwreck Record Card
Other Names: None
Official Number: 12980 (alternate 75643)
Coordinates: N 46° 52.295′, W 090° 30.956′ (Google Maps link)
Depth: Nearshore shallow
Location Description: Rocks near Michigan Island, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior
Vessel Type: Wooden schooner
Material: Wood
Dimensions: 42 × 11.6 × 5 ft; 21.84 gross tons
Condition: Total loss, remains not located
Cause of Loss: Grounding, 4 November 1877
Discovery Date: 1877 (loss recorded)
Discovered By: N/A
Method: Contemporary newspaper & registry record
Legal Notes: Within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore jurisdiction
Hazards: None
Permits Required: Yes, for excavation or disturbance