Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Liberty
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1835
- Builder: Avon Point, Ohio
- Dimensions: Length 56 ft 6 in (17.2 m); Beam 17 ft 5 in (5.3 m); Depth of hold 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 45 76/95
- Location: Milwaukee harbour, Wisconsin
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Two-masted wooden schooner built for general cargo service across the Great Lakes.
Description
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Masts: 2
- Length: 17.2 m (56 ft 6 in)
- Beam: 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)
- Depth: 1.7 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Tonnage (Old Style): 45 76/95
She was modest in size, typical of early to mid-19th century lake schooners used for cargo such as lumber, grain, and general goods.
History
- 1835, Jul 17: First enrollment at Cleveland, Ohio under Jesse S. Cahoon.
- 1836: Sold to Dan C. Van Tine.
- 1837: Ownership passed to Thomas B. Clark, Detroit, MI.
- 1841, Feb 9: Driven ashore near Oak Creek, WI during a storm.
- 1842-1845: Transferred ownership multiple times in Milwaukee.
- 1843, Oct 20: Again driven ashore during a gale at Sheboygan, WI.
- 1864: Underwent significant repairs.
- 1866-1868: Documented changes in gross tonnage, reflecting potential rebuilds or remeasurements.
- 1869, Apr: Involved in a collision with the schooner El Tempo at Manitowoc, WI.
- 1870: Underwent a rebuild.
- 1872, Apr 14: Entered Milwaukee harbour during a gale and struck cribwork, resulting in a total wreck and one crew fatality. Final cargo was wood, indicating a return to lumber trade.
Significant Incidents
- Struck cribwork during a gale while entering Milwaukee harbour, resulting in total loss and one fatality.
Final Disposition
Total loss after wrecking at Milwaukee harbour in a storm. Struck structural cribwork at the harbour entrance. One person perished.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No known official rediscovery or documentation of the wreck site.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”liberty-1835″ title=”References & Links”]
Liberty (1835) was a small, durable schooner active during a formative period in Great Lakes shipping. Her nearly 40-year career reflects the resilience and continual repurposing of early wooden lake vessels. Though ultimately lost in Milwaukee, she serves as a representative example of regional maritime operations before the rise of steel hulls and large steam-powered freighters.
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): Liberty
- Year Built: 1835
- Built At: Avon Point, Ohio
- Final Location: Milwaukee harbour, Wisconsin, Lake Michigan
- Date Lost: 14 April 1872
- Cause of Loss: Struck cribwork during gale while entering harbour; wrecked with one fatality
Vessel Type
Two-masted wooden schooner built for general cargo service across the Great Lakes.
Description
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Masts: 2
- Length: 17.2 m (56 ft 6 in)
- Beam: 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)
- Depth: 1.7 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Tonnage (Old Style): 45 76/95
She was modest in size, typical of early to mid-19th century lake schooners used for cargo such as lumber, grain, and general goods.
History
- 1835, Jul 17: First enrollment at Cleveland, Ohio under Jesse S. Cahoon.
- 1836: Sold to Dan C. Van Tine.
- 1837: Ownership passed to Thomas B. Clark, Detroit, MI.
- 1841, Feb 9: Driven ashore near Oak Creek, WI during a storm.
- 1842-1845: Transferred ownership multiple times in Milwaukee.
- 1843, Oct 20: Again driven ashore during a gale at Sheboygan, WI.
- 1864: Underwent significant repairs.
- 1866-1868: Documented changes in gross tonnage, reflecting potential rebuilds or remeasurements.
- 1869, Apr: Involved in a collision with the schooner El Tempo at Manitowoc, WI.
- 1870: Underwent a rebuild.
- 1872, Apr 14: Entered Milwaukee harbour during a gale and struck cribwork, resulting in a total wreck and one crew fatality. Final cargo was wood, indicating a return to lumber trade.
Final Disposition
Total loss after wrecking at Milwaukee harbour in a storm. Struck structural cribwork at the harbour entrance. One person perished.
Located By & Date Found
No known official rediscovery or documentation of the wreck site.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- Great Lakes Vessels – BGSU Database
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
- Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory
Conclusion
Liberty (1835) was a small, durable schooner active during a formative period in Great Lakes shipping. Her nearly 40-year career reflects the resilience and continual repurposing of early wooden lake vessels. Though ultimately lost in Milwaukee, she serves as a representative example of regional maritime operations before the rise of steel hulls and large steam-powered freighters.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Early schooner, wooden hull, Lake Michigan, Milwaukee harbour, lumber trade, 19th-century shipwrecks, gale damage, small cargo vessels.