Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Mont Blanc
- Type: wooden schooner
- Year Built: 1867
- Builder: S. G. Johnson, Clayton, NY
- Dimensions: 137.5 ft (41.9 m) X 26.1 ft (8.0 m); Depth: 11.3 ft (3.4 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 288.66 GT
- Depth at Wreck Site: 6.1 m / 20 ft
- Location: Approximately 1 mile northeast of Bar Point, Lake Erie
- Official Number: 16344
- Original Owners: E. Merrick & Esselstyne; Merrick & Co.
- Number of Masts: Three
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Three-masted wooden schooner designed for bulk cargo transport across the Great Lakes, typical of late-19th-century commercial sailing vessels.
Description
- Length: 137.5 ft (41.9 m)
- Beam: 26.1 ft (8.0 m)
- Depth: 11.3 ft (3.4 m)
- Gross Tonnage: 288.66 GT
- Net Tonnage: 274.23 NT
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: One
History
- 1867: Built by S. G. Johnson, Clayton, NY, for E. Merrick & Esselstyne; enrolled at French Creek.
- 1873, April: Trapped in ice at Pelee Passage, Lake Erie.
- 1876: Owned by Merrick & Co., Detroit, MI; damaged in a collision with the steamer City of Alpena on October 10.
- 1880s: Regularly towed in the ore and general cargo trades; notably towed by Niagara and John Oades.
- 1885, June: Sank after colliding with the wreck of tug B.B. Jones near Stag Island while under tow.
- 1891–93: Grounded several times (Little Traverse Bay and Buffalo); in October 1893, she sank in a storm at Buffalo, later raised.
- 1901, October 12: Final voyage—while under tow of the tug Gladiator, bound from Toledo, OH to Port Huron, MI with a cargo of coal, she broke loose during a storm and foundered near Bar Point. The crew was rescued by the Bar Point lighthouse keeper.
- 1902, March 31: Documentation officially surrendered at Port Huron, MI.
Significant Incidents
- Trapped in ice at Pelee Passage, Lake Erie in April 1873.
- Damaged in a collision with the steamer City of Alpena on October 10, 1876.
- Sank after colliding with the wreck of tug B.B. Jones in June 1885.
- Grounded several times between 1891 and 1893, including a sinking in a storm at Buffalo.
- Final loss on October 12, 1901, after breaking loose during a storm while under tow.
Final Disposition
The Mont Blanc lies in approximately 20 feet (6.1 metres) of water off Bar Point in Lake Erie. The site is known but not widely visited; remnants may remain depending on sediment coverage and degradation over time. No recovery or salvage operations of note followed her sinking.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No official modern rediscovery or survey recorded in public databases. Presumed to be located based on historical accounts but not documented by formal underwater archaeological surveys.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”mont-blanc-us-16344″ title=”References & Links”]
Mont Blanc exemplifies the working schooners of the Great Lakes’ post-Civil War shipping boom. Though involved in multiple accidents, she served actively for over three decades before succumbing to heavy weather in 1901. Her final loss underscores the risks faced by towed vessels in transitional seasons on the lakes.
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
- Name: Mont Blanc
- Official Number: 16344
- Year Built: 1867
- Built At: Clayton, New York
- Final Location: Approximately 1 mile northeast of Bar Point, Lake Erie
- Date Lost: 12 October 1901
- Final Depth: 20 ft (6.1 m)
- Cause: Sank after breaking loose in a storm while under tow
Vessel Type
Three-masted wooden schooner designed for bulk cargo transport across the Great Lakes, typical of late-19th-century commercial sailing vessels.
Description
- Length: 137.5 ft (41.9 m)
- Beam: 26.1 ft (8.0 m)
- Depth: 11.3 ft (3.4 m)
- Gross Tonnage: 288.66 GT
- Net Tonnage: 274.23 NT
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: One
History
- 1867: Built by S. G. Johnson, Clayton, NY, for E. Merrick & Esselstyne; enrolled at French Creek.
- 1873, April: Trapped in ice at Pelee Passage, Lake Erie.
- 1876: Owned by Merrick & Co., Detroit, MI; damaged in a collision with the steamer City of Alpena on October 10.
- 1880s: Regularly towed in the ore and general cargo trades; notably towed by Niagara and John Oades.
- 1885, June: Sank after colliding with the wreck of tug B.B. Jones near Stag Island while under tow.
- 1891–93: Grounded several times (Little Traverse Bay and Buffalo); in October 1893, she sank in a storm at Buffalo, later raised.
- 1901, October 12: Final voyage—while under tow of the tug Gladiator, bound from Toledo, OH to Port Huron, MI with a cargo of coal, she broke loose during a storm and foundered near Bar Point. The crew was rescued by the Bar Point lighthouse keeper.
- 1902, March 31: Documentation officially surrendered at Port Huron, MI.
Final Disposition
The Mont Blanc lies in approximately 20 feet (6.1 metres) of water off Bar Point in Lake Erie. The site is known but not widely visited; remnants may remain depending on sediment coverage and degradation over time. No recovery or salvage operations of note followed her sinking.
Located By & Date Found
No official modern rediscovery or survey recorded in public databases. Presumed to be located based on historical accounts but not documented by formal underwater archaeological surveys.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- Historical Collections of the Great Lakes – Bowling Green State University
- Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas – Richard Tatley
- Newspaper Clippings & Maritime Records
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection
Conclusion
Mont Blanc exemplifies the working schooners of the Great Lakes’ post-Civil War shipping boom. Though involved in multiple accidents, she served actively for over three decades before succumbing to heavy weather in 1901. Her final loss underscores the risks faced by towed vessels in transitional seasons on the lakes.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
Tags: wooden schooner, coal cargo, tow loss, Lake Erie, Bar Point, 19th-century Great Lakes freighter
Glossary:
- Bar Point: Navigational point near the mouth of the Detroit River on Lake Erie
- Foundered: Filled with water and sank
- Under Tow: A common practice for schooners in later life when under sail power alone was no longer viable or economical