Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Milton D. Ward
- Type: Sidewheel Steamer
- Year Built: 1870
- Builder: Philander Lester, Marine City, Michigan
- Dimensions: Length: 175 ft (53.3 m); Beam: 28.5 ft (8.7 m); Depth of hold: 7.8 ft (2.4 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 538.31 GT
- Location: Waterworks Park, Detroit, Michigan
- Official Number: 90162
- Original Owners: River & Lake Shore Steamboat Company; J.M. Nichol; John Pridgeon & Co; Star Line Steamship Company; White Star Line; S.B. Grummond
- Number of Masts: 1
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Milton D. Ward was a sidewheel steamer designed for passenger and freight transport.
Description
The Milton D. Ward was a passenger and package freight steamer, originally operating between Detroit and Port Huron, Michigan. She featured bluff bows and a spacious cabin arrangement with 30 staterooms.
History
The Milton D. Ward was officially enrolled in Detroit on May 28, 1870, and began operations. She transported silver ore from Fort William in March 1872 and was seized for customs violations in July 1872. Over the years, she changed ownership multiple times and underwent significant modifications, including a lengthening and rebuilding in 1875. The vessel was involved in several incidents, including collisions and engine breakdowns, and served as a floating hospital during a cholera epidemic in 1892.
Significant Incidents
- 1872, July: Seized for customs violations.
- 1877, September: Collided with the wreck of the Nile.
- 1882, June 15: Collision with steamer A.W. Colton.
- 1886, July 18: Engine breakdown; repaired in Marine City.
- 1886, September 12: Collided with steambarge Lake St. Clair.
- 1894, August 16: Burned; never repaired.
Final Disposition
The Milton D. Ward was officially abandoned at Waterworks Park, Detroit, in the Detroit River in 1898. By 1900, her engine was removed, and the hull was broken up, leaving no remains of the vessel.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No wreck remains, as the hull was broken up in 1900. No known artifacts or surviving structures exist.
Resources & Links
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The Milton D. Ward was a versatile sidewheel steamer that served passenger and freight routes across Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and the Detroit River. Her 24-year career included multiple ownership changes, collisions, and modifications. After being destroyed by fire in 1894 and abandoned in 1898, her hull was scrapped by 1900, leaving no remains of this once-prominent Great Lakes steamer.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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