Nemesis US 71149

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: NEMESIS
• Type: schooner
• Year Built: 1868
• Builder: Henry Marlton
• Dimensions: 70 ft (21.3 m) X 20 ft (6.1 m); Depth: 7 ft (2.1 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 82 tons (later measured at 103 tons)
• Location: Bayfield, Ontario
• Official Number: 71149
• Original Owners: Waddell & Leonard; Horton, Spence & Gooding; H. Horton; John Spence
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Wooden schooner, designed for bulk cargo such as grain. A two-masted, general-use lake vessel common on the Great Lakes in the 19th century.

Description

• Builder: Henry Marlton
• Build Location: Goderich, Ontario
• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1
• Masts: 2
• Capacity: ~5,000 bushels
• Tonnage:
  • Gross: 82 tons
  • Later measurement (1879): 103 tons
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 70 ft (21.3 m)
  • Beam: 20 ft (6.1 m)
  • Depth: 7 ft (2.1 m)

History

• 1868, Mar 20: Launched at Goderich, Ontario for Waddell & Leonard.
• 1869: Registered to Horton, Spence & Gooding.
• 1878: Ownership under H. Horton, Goderich.
• 1880: Registered to John Spence, also of Goderich.
• 1881, Sep 10: Grounded at Kincardine, Ontario, Lake Huron; later released.
• 1882: Received major repairs, suggesting extended service life.
• 1883, Nov 20: Drove ashore at Bayfield, Ontario during a severe hurricane on Lake Huron and wrecked beyond recovery.

Significant Incidents

• 1881: Grounded at Kincardine, Ontario, Lake Huron; later released.
• 1883: Wrecked in a hurricane-force storm off Bayfield, Ontario.

Final Disposition

Nemesis was completely wrecked in a violent storm off Bayfield on 20 November 1883. The incident coincides with one of several severe late-autumn storms that have claimed numerous vessels on Lake Huron. No cargo or crew loss details are specified in contemporary reports.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No confirmed modern rediscovery. Presumed either fully salvaged post-wreck or broken up near shore.

Resources & Links

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The Nemesis represents a typical 19th-century Lake Huron trading schooner — modest in size but integral to the grain and timber trades between Ontario port towns. Her final loss in the fall of 1883 underscores the hazards of late-season navigation on the Great Lakes. No physical remains are confirmed today, but her registry and career are well-documented in Canadian marine records.