Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Lady Ann
- Type: Wooden Sloop
- Year Built: 1849
- Builder: Unknown (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
- Dimensions: Length: 48 ft (14.6 m); Beam: 17 ft (5.2 m); Depth of hold: 5.7 ft (1.7 m)
- Registered Tonnage: ~30 tons
- Location: North side of Kenosha Harbor entrance, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin
- Coordinates: Exact wreck site lost; vessel demolished in surf
- Official Number: None recorded (small craft; locally enrolled at Milwaukee in 1854)
- Original Owners: D. Young (David Youngs), N. Houch, P. Fimmier
- Number of Masts: Single-masted sloop (occasionally reported as schooner-rigged)
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
- Type: Wooden sloop / small lake freighter
- Rig: Single-mast sloop (occasionally reported with fore-and-aft auxiliary rig)
- Use: Winter trade and small harbor cargo runs (wood, brick, general cargo)
Description
Lady Ann was a small but robust wooden sloop built for nearshore Lake Michigan transport. Her shallow draft and double-sided hull made her suitable for winter navigation and light ice conditions. Known for agility and speed, one captain described her as:
“The easiest managed, freest, fastest, staunchest, and prettiest little craft afloat.”
Key features:
- Small open deck plan for cordwood or brick cargo
- Reinforced hull for ice encounters
- Single mast with boom and jib for harbor maneuverability
History
Owners (1855):
- D. Young (David Youngs)
- N. Houch
- P. Fimmier
Notable Service:
- Hauled cordwood, brick, and other small cargoes between Racine, Milwaukee, Chicago, and occasional Michigan ports.
- Operated deep into winter seasons when larger schooners were laid up.
Documented Voyages:
- 15 Jan 1853 – Delivered wood to Morgan & Butler, Milwaukee
- 03 Mar 1853 – Reached Chicago with 20 cords of wood, navigating heavy lake ice
- 07 Mar 1854 – Arrived Milwaukee with 20,000 bricks from Kenosha
- 21 Jul 1854 – Departed Racine for Manitowoc
- 01 Nov 1854 – Sighted departing Grand Haven, MI
Significant Incidents
Notable Incident – Ice Drift Ordeal (Winter 1855)
One of the most harrowing winter episodes for any small Great Lakes vessel:
- 21 Jan 1855 – Lady Ann trapped in a gale and ice off Chicago.
- Anchor chain severed by drifting steam dredge during storm.
- Vessel blown into open lake, then trapped in ice near New Buffalo, MI.
- Captain Easson and crew endured multi-day ice drift, multiple over-ice treks, improvised skiff, and eventual recovery of vessel after weeks adrift.
- Returned Lady Ann safely to port after unprecedented mid-winter survival voyage.
Final Disposition
Final Voyage & Loss
- Date of Loss: Night of 18–20 September 1855 (sources vary slightly; widely reported as 20 September)
- Cause: Attempted nighttime entry to Kenosha Harbor in gale; pier light extinguished
- Event:
- Vessel missed channel and struck sand island north of entrance
- Mast went over; Lady Ann pounded to pieces in surf
- Crew jumped to North Pier, all survived
- Loss value estimated ~$500
- Casualties: None
Local papers lamented: “Peace to her timbers; she withstood the buffetings of the winds and waves for a two weeks cruise in the depth of winter, to meet an ignoble fate on a sand beach.”
Current Condition & Accessibility
Wreck Status & Archaeology
- Vessel completely demolished in 1855 storm
- No modern wreckage documented; sands near old Kenosha Harbor have shifted
- Likely scattered timber remains long since buried or removed
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”lady-ann-1849″ title=”References & Links”]
Historical Significance
Lady Ann represents:
- Mid-19th century small-scale commerce on Lake Michigan
- Hazards of early harbor infrastructure and seasonal lake ice navigation
- Survival tale of small craft seamanship under extreme conditions
- Illustrates transition from local sloop trade to larger multi-mast schooner dominance
No physical wreck remains for diving; significance lies in archival documentation and oral maritime heritage.
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.
Wooden Sloop, Lake Michigan
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Vessel Name(s): Lady Ann
- Registry Number: None recorded (small craft; locally enrolled at Milwaukee in 1854)
- Year Built: 1849
- Builder: Unknown (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
- Home Port: Racine, Wisconsin
- Dimensions:
- Length: 48 ft (14.6 m)
- Beam: 17 ft (5.2 m)
- Depth of Hold: 5.7 ft (1.7 m)
- Approx. Tonnage: ~30 tons
- Construction: Wooden hull, single-masted sloop (sometimes reported as schooner-rigged)
- Propulsion: Sail
- Primary Role: Small-scale coastal cargo transport, especially wood and bricks between Milwaukee, Racine, and Chicago
- Location of Loss: North side of Kenosha Harbor entrance, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin
- Coordinates: Exact wreck site lost; vessel demolished in surf
Vessel Type
- Type: Wooden sloop / small lake freighter
- Rig: Single-mast sloop (occasionally reported with fore-and-aft auxiliary rig)
- Use: Winter trade and small harbor cargo runs (wood, brick, general cargo)
Construction & Description
Lady Ann was a small but robust wooden sloop built for nearshore Lake Michigan transport. Her shallow draft and double-sided hull made her suitable for winter navigation and light ice conditions. Known for agility and speed, one captain described her as:
“The easiest managed, freest, fastest, staunchest, and prettiest little craft afloat.”
Key features:
- Small open deck plan for cordwood or brick cargo
- Reinforced hull for ice encounters
- Single mast with boom and jib for harbor maneuverability
Operational History
Owners (1855):
- D. Young (David Youngs)
- N. Houch
- P. Fimmier
Notable Service:
- Hauled cordwood, brick, and other small cargoes between Racine, Milwaukee, Chicago, and occasional Michigan ports.
- Operated deep into winter seasons when larger schooners were laid up.
Documented Voyages:
- 15 Jan 1853 – Delivered wood to Morgan & Butler, Milwaukee
- 03 Mar 1853 – Reached Chicago with 20 cords of wood, navigating heavy lake ice
- 07 Mar 1854 – Arrived Milwaukee with 20,000 bricks from Kenosha
- 21 Jul 1854 – Departed Racine for Manitowoc
- 01 Nov 1854 – Sighted departing Grand Haven, MI
Notable Incident – Ice Drift Ordeal (Winter 1855)
One of the most harrowing winter episodes for any small Great Lakes vessel:
- 21 Jan 1855 – Lady Ann trapped in a gale and ice off Chicago.
- Anchor chain severed by drifting steam dredge during storm.
- Vessel blown into open lake, then trapped in ice near New Buffalo, MI.
- Captain Easson and crew endured multi-day ice drift, multiple over-ice treks, improvised skiff, and eventual recovery of vessel after weeks adrift.
- Returned Lady Ann safely to port after unprecedented mid-winter survival voyage.
Final Voyage & Loss
- Date of Loss: Night of 18–20 September 1855 (sources vary slightly; widely reported as 20 September)
- Cause: Attempted nighttime entry to Kenosha Harbor in gale; pier light extinguished
- Event:
- Vessel missed channel and struck sand island north of entrance
- Mast went over; Lady Ann pounded to pieces in surf
- Crew jumped to North Pier, all survived
- Loss value estimated ~$500
- Casualties: None
Local papers lamented: “Peace to her timbers; she withstood the buffetings of the winds and waves for a two weeks cruise in the depth of winter, to meet an ignoble fate on a sand beach.”
Wreck Status & Archaeology
- Vessel completely demolished in 1855 storm
- No modern wreckage documented; sands near old Kenosha Harbor have shifted
- Likely scattered timber remains long since buried or removed
Research Leads & Verification Opportunities
- Newspaper Archives:
- Kenosha Telegraph (Sept 1855)
- Southport Leader (Sept 1855)
- Milwaukee Sentinel & Chicago Tribune for casualty notices and pier light inquiry
- Municipal & Harbor Records:
- Kenosha harbor logs for lighting/maintenance lapse
- Port inspector’s incident report
- Insurance / Marine Claims:
- Milwaukee & Chicago underwriters’ ledgers for small craft losses in 1855
- Mariner Files:
- Crew: Capt. Easson & Horace Van Doozen documented in oral accounts; trace via Racine maritime directories
Historical Significance
Lady Ann represents:
- Mid-19th century small-scale commerce on Lake Michigan
- Hazards of early harbor infrastructure and seasonal lake ice navigation
- Survival tale of small craft seamanship under extreme conditions
- Illustrates transition from local sloop trade to larger multi-mast schooner dominance
No physical wreck remains for diving; significance lies in archival documentation and oral maritime heritage.