Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Lavinda
- Type: Wooden Two-Masted Schooner
- Year Built: 1863
- Builder: St. German
- Dimensions: Length 100 ft (30.48 m); Beam 20.5 ft (6.25 m); Depth of hold 6.9 ft (2.1 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 125.64 tons
- Location: Kinnickinnic River, Milwaukee Harbor, Wisconsin
- Coordinates: N 43° 00.623′ / W 087° 54.374′
- Official Number: 14673
- Original Owners: Original (1863): Chaffee & Castin, Allegan, MI; Final (1897): Patrick Kearns, Milwaukee, WI
- Number of Masts: Two
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Wooden Two-Masted Schooner
Description
The Lavinda was a small cargo schooner primarily engaged in regional trade and timber transport on Lake Michigan. Built in 1863, it featured a wooden hull and was rigged as a two-masted schooner.
History
The Lavinda had a service history marked by numerous minor collisions and strandings typical for vessels of its size and era. Key incidents include:
- April 1869: Collision with the schooner Mary Booth, resulting in damage that was repaired.
- June 1874: Collision with the schooner Tuscola near Calumet, with damage estimated at $100.
- 1881: Struck Racine’s south pier and became waterlogged, requiring rescue by the Racine Lifesaving Station.
By the 1890s, the Lavinda transitioned from active cargo work to a low-value harbor craft, eventually being laid up.
Significant Incidents
- April 1869: Collision on Lake Michigan with the schooner Mary Booth; damaged but repaired.
- 1873: New rigging installed, likely during a routine overhaul.
- June 1874: Collision with schooner Tuscola near Calumet; damage estimated at $100.
- October 1875: Grounded north of Ludington piers; refloated.
- 1881: Struck Racine’s south pier; became waterlogged; rescued by the Racine Lifesaving Station.
Final Disposition
The Lavinda was abandoned by January 1897 in the Kinnickinnic River, Milwaukee Harbor, Wisconsin. It was reported to be in a sunken condition, with the owner paying little attention to the vessel. The cause of abandonment was the end of its commercial life, and it was sunk and abandoned in the Kinnickinnic ‘boneyard’, a harbor graveyard for obsolete wooden schooners.
“The small schooner Lavinda lies in a sunken condition in the Kinnicinnic branch of the river, her owner evidently paying little or no attention to the old craft.” — Door County Advocate, January 9, 1897
Current Condition & Accessibility
The status of the Lavinda is presumed to be removed, broken up, or buried during 20th-century harbor dredging and expansion. The Kinnickinnic River ‘Boneyard’ served as a disposal site for obsolete wooden vessels, with most wrecks dismantled for firewood, fill, or scrap during harbor modernization. Currently, there is no extant dive target, as the location is an urban river with heavy sediment and development.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”lavinda-us-14673″ title=”References & Links”]
The Lavinda serves as a representative case of the decline of 19th-century wooden schooners on the Great Lakes, illustrating the transition from sail to steam and the practices surrounding vessel disposal in urban environments.
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 Two-Masted Schooner (Built 1863, Sank/Abandoned 1897)
Identification & Construction
- Vessel Name: Lavinda
- Registry Number: 14673
- Built: 1863, Allegan, Michigan
- Builder: St. German (regional Michigan shipwright)
- Hull Material: Wood
- Propulsion: Sail
- Rig: Two-masted schooner
- Dimensions:
- Length: 100 ft (30.48 m)
- Beam: 20.5 ft (6.25 m)
- Depth of Hold: 6.9 ft (2.1 m)
- Gross Tonnage: 125.64 tons
- Home Port: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Owners:
- Original (1863): Chaffee & Castin, Allegan, MI
- Final (1897): Patrick Kearns, Milwaukee, WI
- Underwriter Valuation: $4,500; B1 rating (1863)
Service History
The Lavinda was a small cargo schooner serving primarily on Lake Michigan, engaged in regional trade and timber transport. Her operational history includes numerous minor collisions and strandings, typical of her era and size.
Key Incidents:
- April 1869: Collision on Lake Michigan with the schooner Mary Booth; damaged but repaired.
- 1873: New rigging installed, likely during a routine overhaul.
- June 1874: Collision with schooner Tuscola near Calumet, damage estimated at $100.
- October 1875: Grounded north of Ludington piers; refloated.
- 1881: Struck Racine’s south pier; became waterlogged. Rescued by the Racine Lifesaving Station with assistance from tug H. Wetzel.
Through the 1880s–1890s, the Lavinda transitioned from active cargo work to a low-value harbor craft, eventually laid up.
Final Disposition
- Date of Abandonment: By January 1897
- Location: Kinnickinnic River, Milwaukee Harbor, Wisconsin
- Reported Coordinates: N 43° 00.623′ / W 087° 54.374′
- Cause: End of commercial life; sunk and abandoned in the Kinnickinnic “boneyard” (a harbor graveyard for obsolete wooden schooners).
Newspaper Citation:
“The small schooner Lavinda lies in a sunken condition in the Kinnicinnic branch of the river, her owner evidently paying little or no attention to the old craft.”
— Door County Advocate, January 9, 1897
- Final Owner: Patrick Kearns of Milwaukee
- Lives Lost: None
- Depth: Minimal (harbor riverbed)
Today
- Status: Presumed removed, broken up, or buried during 20th‑century harbor dredging and expansion.
- Kinnickinnic River “Boneyard”:
- Served as a disposal site for obsolete wooden vessels.
- Most wrecks were dismantled for firewood, fill, or scrap during harbor modernization.
- Diving Status: No extant dive target; location is urban river with heavy sediment and development.
Notices & Chart References
- Vessel did not appear in Notices to Mariners; it was considered a non‑hazard in the boneyard.
- Final enrollment records surrendered when abandoned; no salvage attempted.
Historical Significance
The Lavinda illustrates the end-of-life process for 19th‑century wooden schooners on the Great Lakes. By the 1890s, scores of similar vessels were retired and sunk in harbor boneyards as the age of steam made small sail freighters obsolete.
For maritime historians, the Lavinda is a representative case of:
- Great Lakes schooner decline in the late 19th century.
- Use of urban river “boneyards” as a disposal solution.
- Routine collisions and strandings of small lumber schooners.
Keywords & Categories
- Region: Milwaukee Harbor – Kinnickinnic River
- Vessel Type: Wooden schooner
- Cause of Loss: Abandonment
- Service Role: Regional cargo / lumber trade
- Dive Potential: None; likely removed
- Historical Focus: Harbor archaeology, vessel disposal practices