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): Magic
• Official Number: 16411
• Year Built & Launched: 1853
• Place Built: Grand Haven, Michigan
• Final Location: Wrecked 8 miles (≈13 km) south of Pentwater, MI, Lake Michigan
• Date Lost: 28 October 1878
• Cause: Wrecked in a severe gale

Vessel Type

A two‑masted wooden schooner with a single deck, typical of mid‑19th century Great Lakes coastal cargo vessels.

Construction Details

• Master Carpenter: Fleming H. Revell
• Length: 28.65 m (94 ft)
• Beam: 7.92 m (26 ft)
• Depth: 2.07 m (6 ft 8 in)
• Tonnage (old style): 143 7/95 tons

Description

Constructed of timber with a single continuous deck and open hold configuration, the Magic was rigged on two masts for fore-and-aft sails. As was customary with cargo schooners of her time, she likely featured a centre-line keel, an open cargo hold, a small crew cabin aft, and a raised quarterdeck providing shelter and housing the steering gear.

History

A rigorous chronology of voyages and incidents:

• 16 Dec 1853: Enrolled at Detroit following construction at Grand Haven.
• Jun 1855: Capsized on Lake Michigan near Chicago; towed in by U.S. gunboat Michigan.
• 4 May 1856: Struck by schooner Gray in Chicago waters.
• 21 Nov 1856: Ran aground at White Lake, Lake Michigan.
• 12 Apr 1858: Went ashore near Milwaukee; subsequently raised and repaired.
• May & 9 Oct 1861: Capsized twice in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron; latter required tow by tug Elliott.
• 1 Apr 1863: Sold to Charles Walker & Henry Glazer.
• 13 Apr 1865: Chicago remeasurement placed her at 89.62 gross tons.
• 1866–1878: Changed hands multiple times among owners in Chicago, Manitowoc Rapids, Racine, and finally Gustav Gunderson et al of Racine.
• Nov 1869: Wrecked near Bailey’s Harbor, WI; however, surviving that incident, she continued operations.
• 28 Oct 1878: Wrecked during a gale 8 miles south of Pentwater, MI.

This service record shows a robust trading life marked by frequent groundings, capsizals, and collisions — not uncommon among coastal schooners subject to variable Great Lakes conditions.

Final Disposition

The Magic was considered a total loss in October 1878, breaking apart on a reef. Her remnants were not salvaged and remain on the lake bottom south of Pentwater.

Located By & Date Found

There are no records of a formal modern discovery, survey, or documented dive of the Magic. Its wreck site appears to remain undocumented in archaeological records.

Notmars & Advisories

No official Notmar warnings or marine hazards related to the site have been noted in modern navigation charts.

Resources & Links

Primary data based on user-supplied official records. Supplemented by historical Great Lakes incident logs archived through maritime court and survey documents.

Conclusion

The Magic represents a persistent yet ultimately ill-fated vessel in Great Lakes maritime history. With a quarter-century of service, she endured multiple significant incidents but was finally wrecked by Lake Michigan’s unpredictable weather in 1878. The wreck, unmapped and unrecorded in dive or survey logs, poses an intriguing opportunity for maritime historians and archaeologists to explore a mid‑19th century wooden schooner wreck still resting offshore Pentwater.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

• Keywords: Wooden schooner, Great Lakes wreck, 19th century, Lake Michigan, Pentwater, Grand Haven, Finn Carpenter Fleming Revell
• Categories: Mid‑19th Century Cargo Vessels, Traded Schooners, Weather‑Related Wreck
• Glossary Terms: Capsize, Re-enrollment, Gross Tonnage (old style), Master Carpenter, Notmar

Note: Further confirmation and technical details may require archival requests or site surveys, as the wreck has not been formally documented in publicly accessible wreck databases.

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