Mary Nau (1864)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Mary Nau
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1864
• Builder: E. Sorenson at Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Dimensions: Approximately 42 ft (12.8 m) length × 13 ft beam × 5 ft depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage: ~136 gt, 129 nt
• Location: Just south of the harbor entrance at Grand Haven, Michigan
• Official Number: 16,647
• Number of Masts: Two

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

• Type: Two-masted wooden schooner, likely used for hauling lumber along the Lake Michigan coastline.

Description

Built in 1864 at Green Bay, Mary Nau was a small coastal schooner of modest dimensions and tonnage, intended for near-shore timber transport. Her shallow draft and modest size made her suitable for loading lumber at river ports like Whitehall and delivering to larger Great Lakes ports.

History

Registered officially circa mid-1860s, operated primarily on Lake Michigan, carrying lumber between Michigan ports and Chicago. Few crew or ownership records survive in published lists; she appears in Great Lakes incident listings with basic specs and loss entry.

Significant Incidents

• Crew: Six men aboard at time of loss
• Casualties: None; all six survived the wreck

Final Disposition

Caught in a gale on October 30, 1883, while returning from Whitehall to Chicago with a load of lumber, Mary Nau broke loose or was driven ashore just south of Grand Haven harbor entrance. She grounded and was a total loss. No survivors were lost, and the cargo was presumably stranded or dislodged, but crew safety was maintained.

Current Condition & Accessibility

There is no record of an underwater wreck location. Since she stranded onshore and likely broke apart through wave action or salvage, no remains are documented in dive surveys or archaeological databases.

Resources & Links

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Mary Nau, a modest two-masted schooner built in Green Bay in 1864, was lost in a gale on October 30, 1883, while carrying lumber from Whitehall, MI to Chicago. Driven ashore just south of Grand Haven harbor, she grounded and was wrecked. Her crew of six survived with no loss of life. There is no recorded underwater site, and documentation beyond registry and wreck listings is minimal. Further archival research, particularly in newspapers and maritime enrollment records, could expand knowledge of her ownership, crew, and final circumstances.