Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Norland US 136131

Explore the wreck of the Norland, a wooden steam screw freighter that sank in 1922, now lying upright in Lake Michigan, offering a dive into maritime history.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Norland
  • Type: steam screw package freighter
  • Year Built: 1890
  • Builder: H.B. & G.B. Burger Shipyard, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
  • Dimensions: Length 152.5 ft (46.45 m); Beam 25 ft (7.62 m); Depth of hold 9.4 ft (2.87 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: 522 tons
  • Depth at Wreck Site: 17.7 m / 58 ft
  • Location: 3 miles southeast of St. Francis, off Milwaukee's South Point
  • Coordinates: N 42° 58.25' / W 087° 48.74'
  • Official Number: 136131
  • Original Owners: C.B. & H.W. Hart, Joseph Chicago Milwaukee Steamship Co., International Bank of New York, Norlund Lines, Arnold Transit Co., Frank Finsthwait
  • Number of Masts: Single mast

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

  • Wooden steam screw package freighter
  • Single mast, package freight carrier

Description

The Norlond, originally launched as Eugene C. Hart, was a wooden-hulled steam screw freighter measuring:

  • Length: 152.5 ft (46.45 m)
  • Beam: 25 ft (7.62 m)
  • Depth of Hold: 9.4 ft (2.87 m)
  • Gross Tonnage: 522 tons

She was powered by a single steam screw engine and constructed of wood, designed primarily to carry general merchandise. Her cargo on her final voyage was valued at $500,000, including toys, pharmaceuticals, and plumbing supplies.

History

Builder: H.B. & G.B. Burger Shipyard, Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Original Owners: C.B. & H.W. Hart, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Other Owners: Joseph Chicago Milwaukee Steamship Co., International Bank of New York, Norlund Lines, Arnold Transit Co.

Final Owner: Frank Finsthwait, New York, NY

Home Port: New York, NY

Service Record:

  • 1890–1917: Operated on the Great Lakes for Hart Shipping Line.
  • April 1893: Lengthened at Milwaukee to increase cargo capacity.
  • August 1901: Broke propeller shaft on the St. Marys River; towed to DeTour, MI.
  • 1911: Ran Green Bay to Sault Ste. Marie route.
  • 1917–1919: Sold and operated on the U.S. East Coast during WWI.
  • 1919: Purchased by Norlond Lines and renamed Norlond.
  • 1922: Returned to Great Lakes under Frank Finsthwait, operating Chicago–Milwaukee package freight route.

Significant Incidents

Final Disposition:

  • Date of Loss: November 13, 1922
  • Cause: Structural failure due to leak during a gale; foundered after pump failure.
  • Voyage: Chicago to Milwaukee with $500,000 in general cargo.
  • Sequence:
    • Sought refuge at Racine during storm; leaks discovered and patched.
    • Departed for Milwaukee but sprang a second leak.
    • After two hours of pumping, crew abandoned ship in lifeboats.
    • Vessel sank stern-first off Milwaukee’s South Point in 58 ft (17.7 m).
  • Casualties: None – crew successfully reached shore.
  • Insurance: Cargo insured; vessel salvaged in 1923.

Final Disposition

Salvage:

  • 1923 – Steamer Jane recovered the engine and most cargo.
  • 1959 – John Steele rediscovered the wreck, 3 miles southeast of St. Francis.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Located: 1959 by diver John Steele

Coordinates: N 42° 58.25′ / W 087° 48.74′

Condition:

  • Wreck lies upright in sand and mud.
  • Upper hull collapsed, exposing boiler, shaft, propeller, and keel.
  • Cargo debris field scattered around site.

Resources & Links

References are being reviewed for this wreck.

The Norlond is a historically significant Great Lakes package freighter, representing the transitional era of wooden steamers. Her loss highlights structural limitations of late 19th-century wooden hulls under heavy package cargo loads in rough conditions. Today, she is an accessible intermediate recreational dive and a study site for maritime archaeologists examining Great Lakes commerce, salvage practices, and the transition from wood to steel shipbuilding.

Keywords: Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, package freighter, steam screw, wooden hull, foundered, 1922, Norlond, Eugene C. Hart, Hart Shipping Line, Norlund Lines.