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.
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.
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name(s): Liberator
- Year Built: 1846
- Official Number: (Pre-official numbers)
- Final Disposition: Capsized and grounded
- Date Lost: 11 July 1858
- Final Location: Off Fighting Island, below Detroit, Michigan, Lake St. Clair
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.
Located By & Date Found
No formal archaeological rediscovery is noted. The site near Fighting Island is shallow and possibly overbuilt or silt-covered today.
Notmar & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- Great Lakes Ships Database – BGSU
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Donald V. Baut archives
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
Conclusion
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.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Keywords: scow schooner, Lake St. Clair, capsized, timber trade, 19th century shipwreck
- Categories: Wooden vessels, Small schooners, Inland wrecks
- Glossary:
- Scow Schooner: A flat-bottomed sailing vessel optimized for shallow waters.
- Fighting Island: A large island in the Detroit River, near the U.S.–Canada border.