Nautilus (1818)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Nautilus
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1818
• Builder: Sandusky, Ohio
• Dimensions: Length 44 ft (13.4 m); Beam 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m); Depth of hold 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 24 44/95 tons
• Depth at Wreck Site: 1.63 m / 5.4 ft
• Location: Not officially wrecked, capsized in 1817
• Original Owners: Hugh McCall (British subject)
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A small wooden schooner designed for early 19th-century commercial and passenger use on Lake Erie.

Description

• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1
• Number of Masts: 2
• Length: 13.4 metres / 44 feet
• Beam: 3.56 metres / 11 feet 8 inches
• Depth: 1.63 metres / 5 feet 4 inches
• Tonnage (Old Style): 24 44/95 tons

As a schooner of modest tonnage and dimensions, Nautilus likely operated in local freight or trade along the southern shores of Lake Erie, during the very early stages of commercial shipping on the Great Lakes.

History

• 1817: Enrolled at Danbury, Ohio. Despite being reported as built in 1818, she was already in operation in 1817, indicating either an earlier build date or clerical anomaly in documentation.
• 1817, September 18: Capsized approximately 50 miles above Erie, Pennsylvania on Lake Erie. One life was reported lost. The vessel was presumably recovered or repaired afterward.
• 1822, May 18: Enrollment surrendered at Buffalo, New York, with a note indicating she was “Sold British.” New owner: Hugh McCall, identified as a British subject.

Significant Incidents

• 1817: Capsized on Lake Erie, resulting in one reported fatality.

Final Disposition

No record exists indicating the vessel was permanently lost following the 1817 capsizing. Her enrollment termination and sale to a British subject in 1822 suggest she was operational and transferred out of U.S. registry at that time. Final fate post-1822 remains undocumented.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No confirmed archaeological location or recovery data is available. The vessel’s final location is unknown.

Resources & Links

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The Nautilus is one of the earliest documented schooners on the Great Lakes. Its service, capsizing, and eventual transfer to British ownership reflect the fluid nature of vessel operations and registry during the formative years of commercial navigation in the region. Although small and largely forgotten, her history provides insight into early 19th-century maritime commerce on Lake Erie.