Lizzie A. Law – Lake Superior Schooner Shipwreck (1908)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Lizzie A. Law
• Type: Wooden, three-masted schooner
• Year Built: 1875
• Builder: Ed Fitzgerald, Port Huron, Michigan
• Dimensions: 196.1 ft (59.8 m) × 33.9 ft (10.3 m) × 13.9 ft (4.2 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 747.48 gross; 710.13 net
• Depth at Wreck Site: 3 m / 10 ft
• Location: Traverse Island, east side Keweenaw Peninsula, Lake Superior
• Coordinates: N 47° 05.344′, W 088° 18.931′
• Official Number: 140133
• Original Owners: Originally Robert Law, Chicago; later J.J. Warde (1892); C.A. Hurd (1899); Hines Lumber Co. (1903)
• Number of Masts: 3

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Lizzie A. Law was a wooden, three-masted schooner, a type of sailing vessel commonly used for transporting bulk goods across the Great Lakes.

Description

The Lizzie A. Law was a three-masted wooden schooner built in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1875 by Ed Fitzgerald. At nearly 200 feet long and nearly 750 gross tons, she was among the larger schooners operating on the Great Lakes in the late 19th century, primarily employed in the bulk trades of wheat, coal, and lumber.

History

The schooner had a long and checkered career across the Great Lakes. She was originally owned by Robert Law and the Lackawanna Coal Company of Chicago, then passed to multiple subsequent owners through her 33-year career. Her service record includes repeated groundings, collisions, and at least one sinking and salvage.

Selected Chronology:

• 1875 (Jul 26) – Enrolled at Port Huron, MI.
• 1876–1886 – A series of strandings and collisions on Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan.
• 1882 – Rebuilt at Miller Brothers dry dock, Chicago.
• 1893 (Jul 21) – Collided with schooner David Vance in Pelee Passage, Lake Erie; both vessels sank in ~42 ft. The Lizzie A. Law was later raised and repaired at Amherstburg and Detroit.
• 1899 – Owned by C.A. Hurd et al., Buffalo, NY.
• 1903 – Owned by Hines Lumber Co., Chicago.
• 1908 (Oct 19) – Under tow of steamer Edward Hines, bound for Duluth with coal, when she lost the tow in heavy seas and drove ashore at Traverse Island, Keweenaw Peninsula. Declared a total loss.

Significant Incidents

• Repeated groundings and collisions throughout her service history.
• Notable collision with David Vance in 1893, resulting in sinking and subsequent salvage.
• Final wreck on October 19, 1908, after losing tow and being driven ashore.

Final Disposition

Wrecked at Traverse Island, east side of Keweenaw Peninsula, Lake Superior, on October 19, 1908. Declared a total loss; no casualties reported. Some remains persist in shallow water at ~10 ft depth.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck lies in ~10 ft of water off Traverse Island, east Keweenaw Peninsula. Shallow and scattered remains reported. No published photogrammetry or NOAA/EGLE survey available.

Resources & Links

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The Lizzie A. Law serves as a reminder of the maritime history of the Great Lakes, with her remains accessible for divers interested in exploring early 20th-century shipwrecks.