Mary Booth US 16392

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Mary Booth
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1857
• Builder: Bidwell & Banta, Buffalo, NY
• Dimensions: Length 100 ft (30.5 m); Beam 24.7 ft (7.5 m); Depth of hold 6.8 ft (2.1 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 141 tons (old measurement); 124 gross tons (1865)
• Location: Off Milwaukee, near Port Washington, Wisconsin
• Official Number: 16392
• Original Owners: John Booth, James Prouty, Curtis of Buffalo, George Bautsch
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Two-masted wooden schooner, later converted to a lumber barge by 1869. Originally used in general freight and lumber transport on the Great Lakes.

Description

• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1
• Rig: Schooner (2 masts)
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 30.5 m (100 ft)
  • Beam: 7.5 m (24.7 ft)
  • Depth: 2.1 m (6.8 ft)
• Tonnage:
  • 141 tons (old measurement); remeasured at 124 gross tons in 1865
• Notably described as having a scow bottom by 1860, typical for shallow-draft lumber vessels.

History

• 1857: Constructed by Bidwell & Banta, Buffalo, NY for John Booth.
• 1858: Involved in a collision with S.G. ANDREWS in Buffalo Harbor.
• 1860: Owned by James Prouty; involved in a collision off Pointe aux Pelee, Lake Erie.
• 1863: Underwent large repairs.
• 1865: Remeasured at 124 gross tons.
• 1867: Stranded on piers at Chicago while carrying lumber.
• 1869: Collided with schooner LAVINIA, converted afterward to a lumber barge.
• 1871: Owned by Curtis of Buffalo.
• 1872: Stranded at Pilot Island, Lake Michigan.
• 1873: Owned by George Bautsch, Chicago; repaired.
• 1875: Recaulked and overhauled at Wolff & Davison Shipyard in Milwaukee, WI.
• 1877: Enrolled at Chicago on 15 August; waterlogged and sank in a gale on 4 November.

Significant Incidents

• Collision with S.G. ANDREWS in Buffalo Harbor (1858).
• Collision off Pointe aux Pelee, Lake Erie (1860).
• Stranded on piers at Chicago (1867).
• Stranded at Pilot Island, Lake Michigan (1872).

Final Disposition

Sank in a heavy gale off Port Washington, WI, on Lake Michigan, while transporting maple lumber. The vessel became waterlogged before foundering. No fatalities reported.

Current Condition & Accessibility

As of current records, Mary Booth has not been conclusively located. The general area of the wreck near Port Washington is known but no archaeological or sonar confirmation has been publicly disclosed.

Resources & Links

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The Mary Booth exemplifies the workhorse schooners of the mid-19th century Great Lakes fleet, transitioning to barge service in later years. Her long operational life, repeated repairs, and final loss during a routine lumber run reflect the risks of wooden vessel service during the volatile shipping seasons of Lake Michigan.