Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: L.W. Perry
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1870
- Builder: Fitzgerald & Leighton
- Dimensions: Length ~ 128 ft (39 m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: 254 tons
- Location: Kinnickinnic River, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Wooden schooner built in 1870 at Port Huron, Michigan.
Description
The L.W. Perry was primarily used for the lumber trade but also carried coal, ore, and grain.
History
In the fall of 1896, the L.W. Perry collided with the schooner H.C. Winslow off Port Washington, Wisconsin. After the collision, the vessel was raised but remained wrecked and was towed into a slip on the Kinnickinnic River in Milwaukee. By 1897, it was abandoned in place, and river pirates looted the vessel, stripping the cabin and engine.
Significant Incidents
- Collision with the schooner H.C. Winslow in fall 1896.
- Raised after the collision but remained wrecked.
- Abandoned in 1897, with subsequent looting documented.
Final Disposition
No confirmed recent discoveries of wreckage; remains likely still lie in or near the original slip on the Milwaukee River. The location has not been verified by modern dives or surveys.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The L.W. Perry is listed among Milwaukee-area shipwrecks in the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary registry, which documents vessels abandoned or wrecked in Lake Michigan and its rivers.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”l-w-perry-1870″ title=”References & Links”]
The L.W. Perry, a 128-foot schooner, was abandoned after collision-related damage in Milwaukee harbor circa 1897. No lives were lost, but historical salvage and looting have been documented. The vessel is registered in Wisconsin’s maritime heritage records.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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