Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Meteor
- Type: Cargo Freighter
- Year Built: 1863
- Builder: Unknown shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio
- Dimensions: Length 201 ft (61.26 m); Beam 30.16 ft (9.2 m); Depth of hold 12.5 ft (3.81 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 729.10 tons
- Location: Off Cleveland, Ohio
- Official Number: 17570
- Original Owners: Various
- Number of Masts: Schooner rigged
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Originally constructed as a propeller-driven freighter, the Meteor underwent rigging conversions and extensive rebuilds during her career. She served as a hybrid vessel—first steam-powered, then reconfigured as a schooner in response to operational and economic pressures of the late 19th century.
Description
Original (1863):
- Length: 61.26 m (201 ft)
- Beam: 9.2 m (30.16 ft)
- Depth: 3.81 m (12.5 ft)
- Gross Tonnage: 729.10 tons
Rebuilt (1865):
- Length: 60.48 m (198.5 ft)
- Beam: 8.99 m (29.5 ft)
- Depth: 3.96 m (13 ft)
- Gross Tonnage: 956.82 tons
Final Rig (1882, schooner conversion):
- Length: 60.22 m (197.58 ft)
- Beam: 9.5 m (31.16 ft)
- Depth: 3.43 m (11.25 ft)
- Gross Tonnage: 549.42 tons
- Net Tonnage: 521.95 tons
History
1863–1882:
Built in Cleveland for Great Lakes freight service, the vessel was originally powered by a steam engine with a propeller drive. After a destructive collision and onboard fire in 1865, she was repaired in Detroit. By 1873, she again suffered severe fire damage and was sunk at a Detroit dock. After salvage and auction in 1876, the vessel was extensively altered.
1882 Conversion:
Re-rigged as a schooner in Port Huron, MI, reducing reliance on costly steam propulsion during a downturn in demand.
Significant Incidents
Significant Events:
- Collision (9 August 1865):
- Meteor collided with the steamer Pewabic near Thunder Bay, Lake Huron.
- Pewabic sank with loss of life; Meteor was damaged but proceeded to Sault Ste. Marie.
- Fire & Scuttling (11 August 1865):
- Cargo of lime ignited due to leakage.
- Vessel was scuttled in Soo Locks to control the fire, then repaired in Detroit.
- Fire in Detroit (7 June 1873):
- Burned and sank at Buckley’s Dock, Detroit.
- Raised in 1875; machinery and hull sold separately.
- Final Status (1925–1927):
- Declared abandoned in 1925.
- Deliberately scuttled off Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 to remove derelict hull from service.
Final Disposition
The Meteor was intentionally scuttled and abandoned in Lake Erie off Cleveland in 1927. The exact location of the wreck remains undetermined and presents an opportunity for search and documentation.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Not located: The Meteor‘s wreck has not been identified or charted by modern surveys.
Notmars & Advisories: None issued. The site poses no documented navigation hazard.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”meteor-bloom-nelson-us-17570″ title=”References & Links” show_ref_button=”yes”]
The Meteor‘s complex lifecycle—from a steam propeller to a schooner, through fire, collision, and scuttling—reflects the adaptability and risks faced by 19th-century Great Lakes cargo vessels. Her involvement in the Pewabic disaster and multiple structural rebuilds places her among the historically significant, though largely forgotten, freighters of the inland seas.
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
- Original Names: BLOOM, later NELSON
- Final Name: METEOR
- Official Number: 17570
- Year Built: 1863
- Builder: Unknown shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio
- Final Status: Scuttled (abandoned and deliberately sunk) off Cleveland, Ohio, Lake Erie in 1927
- Final Use: Cargo transport
Vessel Type
Originally constructed as a propeller-driven freighter, the Meteor underwent rigging conversions and extensive rebuilds during her career. She served as a hybrid vessel—first steam-powered, then reconfigured as a schooner in response to operational and economic pressures of the late 19th century.
Dimensions & Rebuilds
Original (1863):
- Length: 61.26 m (201 ft)
- Beam: 9.2 m (30.16 ft)
- Depth: 3.81 m (12.5 ft)
- Gross Tonnage: 729.10 tons
Rebuilt (1865):
- Length: 60.48 m (198.5 ft)
- Beam: 8.99 m (29.5 ft)
- Depth: 3.96 m (13 ft)
- Gross Tonnage: 956.82 tons
Final Rig (1882, schooner conversion):
- Length: 60.22 m (197.58 ft)
- Beam: 9.5 m (31.16 ft)
- Depth: 3.43 m (11.25 ft)
- Gross Tonnage: 549.42 tons
- Net Tonnage: 521.95 tons
History
1863–1882:
Built in Cleveland for Great Lakes freight service, the vessel was originally powered by a steam engine with a propeller drive. After a destructive collision and onboard fire in 1865, she was repaired in Detroit. By 1873, she again suffered severe fire damage and was sunk at a Detroit dock. After salvage and auction in 1876, the vessel was extensively altered.
1882 Conversion:
Re-rigged as a schooner in Port Huron, MI, reducing reliance on costly steam propulsion during a downturn in demand.
Significant Events:
- Collision (9 August 1865):
- Meteor collided with the steamer Pewabic near Thunder Bay, Lake Huron.
- Pewabic sank with loss of life; Meteor was damaged but proceeded to Sault Ste. Marie.
- Fire & Scuttling (11 August 1865):
- Cargo of lime ignited due to leakage.
- Vessel was scuttled in Soo Locks to control the fire, then repaired in Detroit.
- Fire in Detroit (7 June 1873):
- Burned and sank at Buckley’s Dock, Detroit.
- Raised in 1875; machinery and hull sold separately.
- Final Status (1925–1927):
- Declared abandoned in 1925.
- Deliberately scuttled off Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 to remove derelict hull from service.
Final Disposition
The Meteor was intentionally scuttled and abandoned in Lake Erie off Cleveland in 1927. The exact location of the wreck remains undetermined and presents an opportunity for search and documentation.
Located By & Date Found
Not located. The Meteor‘s wreck has not been identified or charted by modern surveys.
Notmars & Advisories
None issued. The site poses no documented navigation hazard.
Resources & Links
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Detroit Marine Historical Records & Archives
- Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (for Pewabic reference)
Conclusion
The Meteor‘s complex lifecycle — from a steam propeller to a schooner, through fire, collision, and scuttling — reflects the adaptability and risks faced by 19th-century Great Lakes cargo vessels. Her involvement in the Pewabic disaster and multiple structural rebuilds places her among the historically significant, though largely forgotten, freighters of the inland seas.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Tags: Meteor, Pewabic, schooner conversion, propeller freighter, collision, scuttling, Lake Erie, Cleveland
- Categories: Great Lakes Cargo Vessels, Historic Rebuilds, Steam-to-Sail Conversions, Unlocated Wrecks
- Glossary: Schooner-rigged, Gross Tonnage, Scuttled, Soo Locks, Derelict Hull