N.M. Standart (1854)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: N.M. Standart
• Type: Wooden schooner–barge (non-powered)
• Year Built: 1854
• Builder: William Treat, Euclid, Ohio
• Dimensions: ~138 × 30 × 12 ft (42 × 9 × 3.7 m); 331 gross tons
• Registered Tonnage: 331 gross
• Location: ~5 miles east of Fairport Harbor, Lake Erie
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A two-masted, wooden schooner–barge built for bulk freight transport under tow—common in mid to late 19th-century Great Lakes lumber trade.

Description

Measuring approximately 42 by 9 by 3.7 meters and rated at 331 gross tons, N.M. Standart represents a typical lumber barge of its era—sturdy, open-hold design, lacking independent propulsion, and vulnerable in severe weather.

History

Built in 1854, the vessel was in regular service hauling lumber in convoys towed by steamers. On 18 November 1880, she was part of such a tow headed east of Fairport Harbor, OH, in company with two sister barges and tug Ontonagon. Caught off-guard by a storm, the barge parted towline and foundered in deep water. The crew of six were reportedly safe.

Significant Incidents

• On 18 November 1880, the N.M. Standart sank during a storm while in tow of the steamer Ontonagon.
• None of the six crew members aboard were lost.

Final Disposition

Sank in Lake Erie; presumed to lie on the lakebed in waters east of Fairport Harbor. No salvage or recovery operations were documented.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No known surveys or archaeological investigations have identified the wreck. Exact location and condition remain unknown.

Resources & Links

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N.M. Standart (1854–1880) sank during a November gale east of Fairport Harbor after breaking tow from the steamer Ontonagon, with luck on the side of her crew—none were lost. Her remains rest deep in Lake Erie, uncharted.