Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Onward
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1855
- Builder: P. Ellenwood at Sacketts Harbor, New York
- Dimensions: Length 132 ft (40.2 m); Beam 25 ft (7.6 m); Depth of hold 10 ft (3.0 m)
- Registered Tonnage: ~342 tons; re-measured at 238.56 gross tons in 1868
- Location: North of Leland, Michigan
- Official Number: 19060
- Original Owners: Various owners including Canfield, Ozra W. Bond, and M.O. Parker
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A 19th-century wooden two-masted schooner, typical of Great Lakes lumber carriers—single deck, efficient rig for lake tacking, built for bulk cargo like timber.
Description
Built along classic Mid-19th-century schooner lines, the Onward featured a full-bodied fore and aft hull, carvel plank construction, and a broad beam for cargo stability. Equipped with fore-and-aft sails, it was ideally suited for manoeuvring the often confined waters and variable winds of the Great Lakes.
History
- 1860: Owned by Canfield of Sacketts Harbor, NY
- 1863: Ownership transferred to Oswego, NY
- 1865: Purchased by Ozra W. Bond and others, Oswego; repaired in 1866
- 1867–71: Owned successively by Thomas E. Faulkner and then S. Faulkner, Oswego; second repair circa 1870
- 1872–76: Ownership passed through Richardson & Scott to Hugh Jones & J.P. Williams of Racine, later Jones Brothers
- 1882: Listed officially as US-19060
- 1884: Owned by M.O. Parker and associates of Milwaukee
- Throughout its working life, the Onward primarily carried lumber and similar bulk goods across Great Lakes ports.
Significant Incidents
- Sank/Ashore: 21 September 1885, north of Leland, Michigan, Lake Michigan
- Circumstances: Blown ashore from docking at Gill’s Pier during a storm; hull was subsequently smashed apart by waves
- Aftermath: Wreck broken up onsite; official documentation surrendered on 30 September 1885
Final Disposition
Not located—the wreck was scattered and destroyed onshore; no underwater remains have been documented. The site remains unmarked and no discovery record exists.
Current Condition & Accessibility
None noted—site is not under navigational hazard advisories.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”onward-us-19060″ title=”References & Links”]
The Onward represents a mid-19th-century workhorse schooner, integral to Great Lakes lumber trade. It had a service life of approximately 30 years before succumbing to a storm-related wreck at Leland. Today, no visible remains exist; its story survives through registry entries and late-19th-century port records. Although technically lost, it highlights the vulnerabilities of wooden schooners subjected to both natural forces and dockside risks.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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