Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Liberator
- Type: Scow schooner
- Year Built: 1846
- Builder: E.D. Sawyer
- Dimensions: Length 68 ft (20.7 m); Beam 16 ft 7 in (5.1 m); Depth of hold 4 ft (1.2 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 45 tons
- Location: Off Fighting Island, below Detroit, Michigan, Lake St. Clair
- Official Number: (Pre-official numbers)
- Original Owners: L. Townes, E. B. Sawyer, D. C. Russell, William Cole, Mary A. Desrochers
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Scow schooner — a flat-bottomed, wooden, two-masted cargo sailing vessel designed for shallow and inland waters, common on the Great Lakes in the mid-19th century.
Description
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Length: 20.7 metres / 68 feet
- Beam: 5.1 metres / 16 feet 7 inches
- Depth: 1.2 metres / 4 feet
- Tonnage (Old Style): 45 tons
- Masts: 2
Constructed by E.D. Sawyer in Dover, Ohio, the Liberator was built for light cargo, likely timber and basic commodities, operating mainly in western Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.
History
- 1846, July 24: Enrolled in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1847–1858: Passed through multiple ownerships across Ohio and Michigan:
- 1847: L. Townes
- 1849: E. B. Sawyer
- 1852: D. C. Russell, Salem, OH
- 1857: William Cole, Detroit, MI
- 1858: Mary A. Desrochers, Mt. Clemens, MI
- 1858, July 11: While carrying a cargo of wood, the Liberator capsized near the head of the Detroit River, likely due to weather or instability. Her crew was rescued by a barge being towed by the tug Dispatch. The hulk eventually grounded on Fighting Island.
Final Disposition
- Cause: Capsized while underway
- Outcome: Total loss; grounded on Fighting Island. No fatalities recorded.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No formal archaeological rediscovery is noted. The site near Fighting Island is shallow and possibly overbuilt or silt-covered today.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”liberator-1846″ title=”References & Links”]
The Liberator exemplifies the utilitarian scow schooners used in the early commercial period of Great Lakes shipping. Though small, such vessels played a crucial role in regional timber and cargo trades. Her loss was characteristic of the hazards faced in congested, weather-sensitive inland waters like Lake St. Clair.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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