Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Samuel Ingham, later renamed Malakoff
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1848
- Builder: Carrichal
- Dimensions: Not fully recorded
- Registered Tonnage: Not recorded
- Depth at Wreck Site: 9 m / 30 ft
- Location: 4 miles off Goderich, Ontario
- Number of Masts: 2 (after rebuild in 1856 as schooner)
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Originally a revenue cutter under the United States Revenue Cutter Service, the SAMUEL INGAM served in a paramilitary and customs enforcement role before being sold into merchant service. After leaving government service, she was rebuilt as a two-masted schooner at Milan, Ohio, and renamed MALAKOFF, entering the commercial coal trade on the Great Lakes.
Description
Launched in 1848 at Erie, Pennsylvania, as a cutter for the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the vessel was active in enforcement operations on the upper Great Lakes. Notably, in May 1851, she assisted the steamer MICHIGAN in the arrest of Mormon settlers on Beaver Island — part of the campaign to remove James Strang’s followers.
History
She had several incidents:
- 1853, Sep 22: stranded on Peach Island, released on Sep 28 by tug RUBY.
- 1854, Oct: collision with an unidentified brig in the Buffalo River.
- 1856, Oct 27: ashore at Fairport, Ohio.
After being sold out of the Revenue Cutter Service in 1856, she was renamed MALAKOFF and worked as a coal schooner. In October 1857, while carrying coal from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois, she grounded near Nine Mile Point in the Straits of Mackinac and was abandoned. Salvage operations pulled her free with the tug RESCUE, but she later foundered in rough weather while under tow toward Detroit, finally sinking off Goderich, Ontario.
Significant Incidents
- 1853, Sep 22: stranded on Peach Island, released on Sep 28 by tug RUBY.
- 1854, Oct: collision with an unidentified brig in the Buffalo River.
- 1856, Oct 27: ashore at Fairport, Ohio.
Final Disposition
Sank 31 October 1857, off Goderich, Ontario, while under tow after earlier grounding.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No surveys have confirmed the present status of the wreck; its state remains unknown.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”malakoff-samuel-ingham” title=”References & Links”]
The SAMUEL INGAM / MALAKOFF is an example of how revenue cutters were adapted for commercial trade after retirement, a common 19th-century practice. Her final loss during a tow on Lake Huron underscores the hazards facing repurposed vessels operating beyond their original design.
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.
INGHAM, SAMUEL U.S.R.C. (also known as MALAKOFF) (1848, Schooner)
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name(s): SAMUEL INGAM, later renamed MALAKOFF
- Year Built: 1848
- Built at: Erie, Pennsylvania
- Vessel Type: Schooner
- Hull Material: Wood (implied by construction period and type)
- Number of Decks: 1
- Builder: Carrichal
- Vessel Dimensions
- Dimensions: Not fully recorded
- Tonnage: Not recorded
- Number of Masts: 2 (after rebuild in 1856 as schooner)
- Final Location: 4 miles off Goderich, Ontario, Lake Huron
- Date Lost: 31 October 1857
- Final Depth: 9 m (30 ft)
- How Lost: Foundered while under tow
- Final Cargo: Coal
Vessel Type Description
Originally a revenue cutter under the United States Revenue Cutter Service, the SAMUEL INGAM served in a paramilitary and customs enforcement role before being sold into merchant service. After leaving government service, she was rebuilt as a two-masted schooner at Milan, Ohio, and renamed MALAKOFF, entering the commercial coal trade on the Great Lakes.
History
Launched in 1848 at Erie, Pennsylvania, as a cutter for the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the vessel was active in enforcement operations on the upper Great Lakes. Notably, in May 1851, she assisted the steamer MICHIGAN in the arrest of Mormon settlers on Beaver Island — part of the campaign to remove James Strang’s followers.
She had several incidents:
- 1853, Sep 22: stranded on Peach Island, released on Sep 28 by tug RUBY.
- 1854, Oct: collision with an unidentified brig in the Buffalo River.
- 1856, Oct 27: ashore at Fairport, Ohio.
After being sold out of the Revenue Cutter Service in 1856, she was renamed MALAKOFF and worked as a coal schooner. In October 1857, while carrying coal from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois, she grounded near Nine Mile Point in the Straits of Mackinac and was abandoned. Salvage operations pulled her free with the tug RESCUE, but she later foundered in rough weather while under tow toward Detroit, finally sinking off Goderich, Ontario.
Final Disposition
Sank 31 October 1857, off Goderich, Ontario, while under tow after earlier grounding.
Located By & Date
No documented modern location or dive survey reported.
NOTMARs & Advisories
None noted.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No surveys have confirmed the present status of the wreck; its state remains unknown.
Resources & Links
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Bowling Green State University Vessels Database
Conclusion
The SAMUEL INGAM / MALAKOFF is an example of how revenue cutters were adapted for commercial trade after retirement, a common 19th-century practice. Her final loss during a tow on Lake Huron underscores the hazards facing repurposed vessels operating beyond their original design.
Keywords: Lake Huron, schooner, U.S. Revenue Cutter, coal trade, 19th-century shipwreck, Straits of Mackinac, Goderich, revenue enforcement
malakoff-samuel-ingham 1857-10-31 18:41:00