New Lisbon (1855)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: New Lisbon
• Type: wooden two-masted schooner
• Year Built: 1855
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Approximately 115 ft (35 m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage:
• Location: Mid-lake off Fairport, Ohio
• Original Owners: H. Hubbard & Company, Ashtabula, Ohio
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

New Lisbon was a wooden two-masted schooner, typical of mid-19th-century vessels used in the Great Lakes trade.

Description

Built in 1855, the New Lisbon measured approximately 115 feet in length and was primarily engaged in the transport of staves. Her home port was Ashtabula, Ohio.

History

The New Lisbon was lost on September 10, 1871, while bound from Ashtabula, Ohio, carrying staves. A sudden white squall struck, causing the vessel to capsize swiftly.

Significant Incidents

• September 10, 1871: The New Lisbon capsized in a sudden white squall while making her eastbound passage.
• All crew members were rescued by the propeller tug Annie Young.
• The hull drifted for several days before being sighted by the Canadian schooner Jennie P. Mack on September 19.
• Jennie P. Mack towed the New Lisbon into port, but she was declared a constructive total loss.
• Abandonment was confirmed by September 29, 1871.

Final Disposition

Although the New Lisbon was towed into port, she was beyond repair and formally abandoned. There was no record of salvage or reconstruction, and she was never returned to service.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No confirmed wreck site exists for the New Lisbon; her hulk likely deteriorated or was dismantled following abandonment.

Resources & Links

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This case illustrates the peril of mid-lake white squalls, which can capsize light schooners in seconds. The rescue by Annie Young and subsequent towing by Jennie P. Mack highlight the coordination among shipping vessels during emergencies.