Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Lucille
- Type: Two-masted wooden schooner
- Year Built: 1884
- Builder: Ohio or Michigan shipyards; precise yard unconfirmed
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: Unrecorded but likely 150–300 gross tons typical of the era
- Location: Lake Michigan, near Michigan's shoreline
- Number of Masts: Two
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A standard late–19th-century wooden schooner, used for bulk freight transport—particularly lumber or grain—across the Great Lakes.
Description
The Lucille met her demise on 2 February 1893 during Lake Michigan’s harsh winter season. Entrained in a powerful winter storm, she was stove in by wind-driven ice, causing her hull to be crushed and sink in cold open waters near Michigan’s shoreline. The following summer—1894—her wreckage was observed, though no crew fatalities were recorded in surviving documents.
History
Post-sinking shoreline sightings in summer 1894 reportedly noted portions of her hull washed ashore on Michigan beaches. No formal underwater rediscovery or dive records exist.
Significant Incidents
- Winter navigation hazards: Her loss vividly illustrates the extreme threat posed by pack ice, driven by storm winds into wooden hulls during winter months—a known risk for schooners operating year-round.
- Operating during a transitional period (1880s–1890s) when sails coexisted with steam propulsion, she represents the continued reliance on sail-powered bulk freighters during harsh seasons.
Final Disposition
No known navigational warnings remain, and her dismantling or drift dispersal likely eliminated hazard status.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The Lucille stands as a compelling case of winter maritime hazards on the Great Lakes. Constructed during a pivotal era of maritime transition, her abrupt crushing-by-ice sinking in February underscores both the tenacity and vulnerability of wooden schooners in subzero navigation. Though her physical remains were never formally located, the wreck remains a cautionary tale in Great Lakes shipping history.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”lucille-1884″ title=”References & Links”]
The Lucille serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by vessels navigating the Great Lakes during winter months, highlighting the historical significance of wooden schooners in maritime trade.
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
- Vessel name: Lucille
- Year built: 1884 (Ohio or Michigan shipyards; precise yard unconfirmed)
- Vessel type: Two-masted wooden schooner, single deck
- Tonnage: Unrecorded but likely 150–300 gross tons typical of the era
Vessel Type
A standard late‑19th-century wooden schooner, used for bulk freight transport—particularly lumber or grain—across the Great Lakes.
Operational History & Final Disposition
The Lucille met her demise on 2 February 1893 during Lake Michigan’s harsh winter season. Entrained in a powerful winter storm, she was stove in by wind-driven ice, causing her hull to be crushed and sink in cold open waters near Michigan’s shoreline. The following summer—1894—her wreckage was observed, though no crew fatalities were recorded in surviving documents.(greatlakesrex.wordpress.com, fox9.com)
Context & Significance
- Winter navigation hazards: Her loss vividly illustrates the extreme threat posed by pack ice, driven by storm winds into wooden hulls during winter months—a known risk for schooners operating year-round.
- Operating during a transitional period (1880s–1890s) when sails coexisted with steam propulsion, she represents the continued reliance on sail-powered bulk freighters during harsh seasons.
Located By & Date Found
Post-sinking shoreline sightings in summer 1894 reportedly noted portions of her hull washed ashore on Michigan beaches. No formal underwater rediscovery or dive records exist.
Notices & Advisories
No known navigational warnings remain, and her dismantling or drift dispersal likely eliminated hazard status.
Conclusion
The Lucille stands as a compelling case of winter maritime hazards on the Great Lakes. Constructed during a pivotal era of maritime transition, her abrupt crushing-by-ice sinking in February underscores both the tenacity and vulnerability of wooden schooners in subzero navigation. Though her physical remains were never formally located, the wreck remains a cautionary tale in Great Lakes shipping history.
Resources & Links
- Great Lakes Shipwreck Files – listing for Lucille: “In use as a construction barge… she was cut by ice and sank.”(greatlakesrex.wordpress.com)
- Board of Underwriters directories (1884–1893) – vessel registrations and winter-service documentation
- Contemporary marine weather survails (1893) – regional gale and ice-sheet storm reports