Nautilus (1853)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Nautilus
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1853
• Builder: Jones
• Dimensions: Length 128 ft (39 m); Beam 26 ft (7.9 m); Depth of hold Not recorded (estimated 8-10 ft / 2.4-3.0 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 306 tons
• Depth at Wreck Site: 4.3 m / 14 ft
• Location: Off Lake Street, Chicago Harbour
• Original Owners: Rounds, Hudson & Ranney
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Wooden schooner designed for bulk cargo transport across the upper Great Lakes.

Description

• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1
• Number of Masts: 2
• Length: 39 metres / 128 feet
• Beam: 7.9 metres / 26 feet
• Depth: Not recorded (likely an omission or clerical error; based on contemporaries, estimated around 2.4–3.0 metres / 8–10 feet)
• Tonnage (Old Style): 306 tons

Constructed with robust dimensions for the salt, lumber, and general cargo trade, Nautilus represented the mid-19th-century lake schooner class—shallow draft, broad-beamed, and optimized for port access on the Great Lakes.

History

• 1853: Built in Buffalo, New York by shipwright Jones. Enrolled that year for operation from both Buffalo, NY, and Chicago, IL.
• 1854: Owned by the firm Rounds, Hudson & Ranney of Chicago, Illinois.
• October 4, 1854: While carrying 1,600 barrels of salt, Nautilus holed her hull and quickly sank off Lake Street within Chicago Harbour during a storm. The wreck settled in relatively shallow water.

Significant Incidents

• Loss Circumstances: The vessel holed and sank during a storm while inbound to Chicago. Loss was deemed total. There is no known record of salvage.

Final Disposition

Wrecked. The vessel holed and sank during a storm while inbound to Chicago. Loss was deemed total. There is no known record of salvage.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No modern archaeological recovery or formal identification of wreck site is documented.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”nautilus-1853″ title=”References & Links”]

The Nautilus of 1853 is an example of the perilous nature of early Great Lakes navigation, especially for large schooners running bulk commodities into shallow and often storm-exposed harbours like Chicago. Though lost within a year of launch, her size and cargo emphasize the growing demands of commercial trade through the Great Lakes in the mid-19th century.