O. Wilcox – Lake Huron Schooner Shipwreck (1893)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: O. Wilcox
• Type: Wooden schooner
• Year Built: 1869
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Approximately 130 ft (39.6 m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage:
• Depth at Wreck Site: 46 m / 150 ft
• Location: 10 miles above Sable, Lake Huron
• Official Number: Not recorded
• Number of Masts: Likely two- or three-masted

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A grain or general cargo schooner, around 130 ft long—characteristic of mid-19th-century freighters on the Upper Great Lakes.

Description

The O. Wilcox was a wooden schooner that typically carried barley or ballast. It sank on April 16, 1893, after developing a leak, with the crew abandoning ship and making it to East Tawas, Michigan.

History

• One source reports the O. Wilcox sprang a leak and sank on 16 April 1893, with her crew abandoning ship and making it to East Tawas, Michigan.
• The sinking occurred in 150 ft (46 m) of water, providing a possible deep-water wreck site.
• No mention is made of sawlogs, Georgian Bay, or a crew complement of 13.
• No other records reference a capsizing or storm-related loss on 29 August 1893 bound for Georgian Bay.

Significant Incidents

• The O. Wilcox foundered after leaking below decks, sank with her crew rescued, and now presumably rests in deep Lake Huron.

Final Disposition

The O. Wilcox foundered after leaking below decks, sank with her crew rescued, and now presumably rests in deep Lake Huron. No salvage or rediscovery is documented.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Not located. The wreck, if extant, would lie in deep, remote water and has no known coordinates or dive survey records.

Resources & Links

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No navigational markers or published dive warnings. At this depth and remote location, it’s unlikely to pose a hazard. Remember to leave only bubbles and take only memories when diving.