Marquette (1856)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Marquette
• Type: Barkentine (Three-Masted Schooner)
• Year Built: 1856
• Builder: James Bushnell
• Dimensions: 139 ft (42.4 m) length × 30 ft (9.1 m) beam × 11 ft 2 in (3.4 m) depth
• Registered Tonnage: 436 65/95 tons (old measurement)
• Depth at Wreck Site: 12 m / 45 ft
• Location: Hope Island, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron
• Coordinates: Approx. vicinity of Hope Island, 45°12′N, 80°10′W
• Official Number: [Not listed]
• Original Owners: Eber B. Ward (initial); later S.J. Perry of Chicago
• Number of Masts: Three

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Marquette was a wooden barkentine, a hybrid sailing vessel characterized by carrying square sails on the foremast and fore-and-aft sails on the main and mizzen. This rig allowed for efficient handling with a small crew while retaining the power of square sails when running before the wind.

Description

Built in 1856 at Newport (Marine City), Michigan, by shipbuilder James Bushnell, the vessel embodied mid-century Great Lakes craftsmanship: oak framing, robust construction, and reinforced topsides for rough weather service.

History

Commissioned by Detroit industrialist Eber B. Ward, the Marquette was launched into the Lake Superior trade and enrolled at the Port of Detroit on June 18, 1856. She operated as a bulk carrier, hauling grain, lumber, and ore between upper-lake ports.

Incidents and Repairs (1860–1862):

• November 1860 – Collision with the schooner Milwaukee at St. Helena, Lake Michigan, causing topside damage.
• September 1862 – Collided with the A.J. Warner near Cheboygan, Michigan, and sank. The vessel was raised, repaired, and returned to service.

Under later ownership by S.J. Perry of Chicago, the barkentine continued Great Lakes cargo work until her final loss in 1867.

Significant Incidents

On November 20, 1867, while en route from Chicago to Collingwood carrying 20,000 bushels of corn, Marquette encountered a violent gale on Lake Huron. Driven off course toward Georgian Bay, she stranded off Hope Island. Despite crew efforts to lighten cargo, the pounding seas forced the vessel to founder near the shoals surrounding the island. The crew escaped without reported fatalities, but the vessel was declared a total loss.

Final Disposition

The Marquette came to rest in approximately 45 feet (12 meters) of water off Hope Island, Georgian Bay. Her wooden hull remains well-preserved in the cold, clear waters of Lake Huron and is accessible to divers. Artifacts including hull planking, fastenings, and sections of her rigging have been documented by sport divers and local maritime researchers.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck of the Marquette has been known for many years as part of the Georgian Bay dive community’s inventory. Exact discovery date is not documented, but the site has been regularly visited since the 1970s and confirmed as the Marquette by artifact correlation and location.

No active Notices to Mariners (NOTMARs) are published for the site. Divers should be aware of changing wind and surface conditions around Hope Island. The wreck lies within recreational diving limits but requires standard cold-water safety precautions.

Resources & Links

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Access to the wreck is by boat, with entry points available from Hope Island (Georgian Bay National Park waters). Conditions are generally excellent for diving, with visibility ranging from 30 to 60 ft (9 to 18 m) and minimal current. Recreational diving is permitted, but artifact removal is prohibited.