Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record

This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.

Wooden Three-Masted Schooner

Final Incident – 14 March 1888 (sometimes mis-cited as 1887)

• Location: Off Long Point, Ontario, in Lake Erie
• Cause: Foundered during a violent storm
• Cargo: Coal
• Casualties: Seven crew members lost at sea, tragically perishing in the violent gale
• Initial Outcome: Initially reported sunk; later reports mention the wreck was raised and removed after floating off-shore
• References:
  • Alchem, Inc. shipwrecks index clearly states “Wooden 3 mast schooner of 406 tons sank in a storm 3/14/1888 off Long Point, Ontario. Seven members of the crew died.” (alcheminc.com)
  • Great Lakes Shipwreck Files include P.C. Sherman in storm-loss lists near Long Point (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Wreck & Site Condition

• Final Disposition: The schooner foundered and sank; the wreck was later salvaged and cleared to avoid navigational hazards
• Site Status: Not marked on modern charts and not accessible as a dive site—likely completely removed

Significance & Context

• The P.C. Sherman is one of the well-documented cases of storm-related loss during the perilous 1887–1888 shipping storms, which claimed multiple vessels in the Long Point region
• The loss of all seven crew underscores the storm severity and navigational conditions around Long Point, a notorious hazard area for sailors on Lake Erie

Research & Follow-Up Opportunities

• Historic Newspapers (Mid-March 1888)
  • Local Ontario papers (Port Rowan, Port Dover, Port Colborne, Toronto) may contain eyewitness accounts or official lists of the missing crew
• Marine Board & Life-Saving Records
  • Canadian Marine Board may have conducted an inquiry; the Life-Saving Service could hold logs or death registers
• Salvage Reports
  • Harbor authority or marine insurers may retain records on raising and disposing of the schooner remains

Summary

The P.C. Sherman, a three-masted wooden schooner, was lost with all hands in a fierce gale off Long Point, Ontario, on March 14, 1888—the cargo of coal swallowed in the storm. The wreck was later removed, and no identifiable remains remain. This incident is emblematic of the deadliest late-winter—and early spring—storm season conditions on Lake Erie.

p-c-sherman 1888-03-14 22:59:00