L. May Guthrie – Lake Michigan Schooner Shipwreck (1894)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: L. May Guthrie
• Type: scow-schooner
• Year Built: 1874
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage:
• Location: Fisherman Shoal, Lake Michigan
• Original Owners: Possibly owned by A. G.

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

• A wooden scow-schooner, adapted for transporting bark and lumber in shallow draft operations. Built as a type commonly used on lakes and rivers for industrial freight. (Wisconsin Shipwrecks)

Description

• Constructed of timber, scow-schooner rig, shallow draft. No exact dimensions or tonnage recorded in summary indexes—probably modest (under ~100 tons), typical for bark-pack scows of that era. (Wisconsin Shipwrecks, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)

History

• Operational use: Regularly used in bark hauling routes, including runs toward Kenosha, WI. On September 26, 1894, while en route to Kenosha she encountered a southeast gale that drove her off course near Fisherman Shoal offshore. A last-minute attempt to tack failed; she grounded on the shoal and was stranded. (Wisconsin Shipwrecks)
• Crew & casualties: Five aboard; none lost. Crew were rescued after grounding and the vessel later broke up in the storm. (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Wisconsin Shipwrecks)
• Owner: Not named explicitly in summaries (catalog lists “Owned by A. G.” possibly signal owner’s initials). (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Wisconsin Shipwrecks)

Significant Incidents

• Grounded during a severe southeast gale on September 26, 1894, leading to total loss of the vessel.
• All five crew members were rescued, with no casualties reported.

Final Disposition

• Loss details: Grounded and damaged beyond repair in the gale; subsequently abandoned and broke up. Total loss. (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)

Current Condition & Accessibility

• No known modern wreck identification or dive surveys have been logged. The wreck site at Fisherman Shoal remains undocumented in commercial or academic databases (e.g. NOAA Thunder Bay, 3DShipwrecks). Condition and exact remains unknown.

Resources & Links

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• The L. May Guthrie serves as a reminder of the perils faced by vessels on the Great Lakes, particularly during severe weather conditions. Further research and exploration may uncover more about this lost scow-schooner.