Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: PERE MARQUETTE 6
- Type: Wooden Steam Barge / Passenger & Packet Steamer / Later Barge
- Year Built: 1888
- Builder: Burger & Burger Shipyard, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
- Dimensions: Length ~160 ft (48.8 m); Beam ~28 ft (8.5 m); Depth ~10 ft (3.05 m)
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Maritime Bay, Lake Michigan (between Manitowoc & Two Rivers, WI)
- Coordinates: Unknown (presumed shallow water)
- Official Number: [To be verified]
- Original Owners: White Lake Transportation Co.; Smith & Kitzinger; Manistee & Milwaukee Transportation Co.; Michigan Salt Transportation Co.; Pere Marquette Line Steamers; Multiple transportation companies; Marine Construction Co.; McMullen & Pitz Construction Co.
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Originally launched in 1888 as the MARK B. COVELL, this wooden steam barge was built for the lumber trade, operating between White Lake, Michigan and Chicago. She occasionally carried passengers and became a well-known vessel in regional trade circuits.
Description
In 1906, the vessel was rebuilt and converted into a passenger and freight steamer, renamed PERE MARQUETTE 6. Her hull was sheathed in iron that winter to extend her operational season. She served multiple lines including the Michigan City, Chicago & Western Transportation Co., and Marinette Transit Co., before being converted back into a barge in 1926.
By 1930, she was dismantled and abandoned in the Menominee River. However, government pressure led to her removal, and in 1935 she was raised and repurposed again—this time as a derrick barge.
History
In a final turn of historical irony, the PERE MARQUETTE 6—a once-proud steamer—was selected as the climax of Manitowoc’s 1936 Centennial. Her hull was filled with combustibles, towed offshore between Manitowoc and Two Rivers, and set ablaze before an enthusiastic public audience on July 5, 1936.
Eyewitness accounts and news articles indicate she was soaked in oil, packed with crates, rags, and kindling, and ignited at nightfall. She burned to the waterline and sank in shallow water. Her remains are believed to lie buried beneath the sands of Maritime Bay. The exact site has not been positively located.
Significant Incidents
- Originally launched as the MARK B. COVELL in 1888, she served the lumber trade and later became a passenger steamer.
- Converted back to a barge in 1926 and abandoned in 1930.
- Repurposed as a derrick barge in 1935.
- Burned as a public spectacle on July 5, 1936, during Manitowoc’s Centennial.
Final Disposition
The PERE MARQUETTE 6 stands as a symbol of the evolution—and decline—of Great Lakes commerce vessels. Her transformation from lumber barge to passenger steamer to derrick barge spans decades of Great Lakes history. Her deliberate burning as public entertainment illustrates a surreal yet poignant example of how aging vessels were discarded before maritime heritage preservation became common.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Status: Presumed destroyed by fire and sand burial. Diving Suitability: No known dive site; remains unconfirmed. Search Status: Wreckage has not been conclusively identified. Some sonar targets remain under investigation by NOAA and the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”pere-marquette-6-mark-b-covell” title=”References & Links”]
She may be gone, but she remains a flickering flame in the story of Lake Michigan’s maritime legacy.
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.
SHIPWRECK REPORT – Pere Marquette 6 (Ex–Mark B. Covell)
IDENTIFICATION & SITE INFORMATION
- Name: PERE MARQUETTE 6
- Original Name: MARK B. COVELL
- Type: Wooden Steam Barge / Passenger & Packet Steamer / Later Barge
- Rig: Steam Propulsion (Single Screw)
- Built: 1888, Burger & Burger Shipyard, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
- Official Number: [To be verified]
- Final Disposition: Burned as a public spectacle
- Event Date: July 5, 1936
- Location: Maritime Bay, Lake Michigan (between Manitowoc & Two Rivers, WI)
- Coordinates: Unknown (presumed shallow water)
- Depth: Unknown (believed buried under sand or burned to the waterline)
- Hull Material: Wood
- Length: ~160 ft (48.8 m)
- Beam: ~28 ft (8.5 m)
- Depth: ~10 ft (3.05 m)
- Initial Owner: White Lake Transportation Co.
- Later Owners:
- Smith & Kitzinger / Manistee & Milwaukee Transportation Co. (1891)
- Michigan Salt Transportation Co. (briefly in 1906)
- Pere Marquette Line Steamers (1908)
- Multiple transportation companies through the 1910s and 1920s
- Marine Construction Co., Manitowoc, WI (1935)
- McMullen & Pitz Construction Co. (1936)
- Propulsion: Steam
- Converted to Barge: 1935, derrick-equipped lighter
- Engine Details: Unknown
HISTORY
MARK B. COVELL (1888–1906)
Originally launched in 1888 as the MARK B. COVELL, this wooden steam barge was built for the lumber trade, operating between White Lake, Michigan and Chicago. She occasionally carried passengers and became a well-known vessel in regional trade circuits.
PERE MARQUETTE 6 (1906–1930)
In 1906, the vessel was rebuilt and converted into a passenger and freight steamer, renamed PERE MARQUETTE 6. Her hull was sheathed in iron that winter to extend her operational season. She served multiple lines including the Michigan City, Chicago & Western Transportation Co., and Marinette Transit Co., before being converted back into a barge in 1926.
By 1930, she was dismantled and abandoned in the Menominee River. However, government pressure led to her removal, and in 1935 she was raised and repurposed again—this time as a derrick barge.
FINAL DISPOSITION
In a final turn of historical irony, the PERE MARQUETTE 6—a once-proud steamer—was selected as the climax of Manitowoc’s 1936 Centennial. Her hull was filled with combustibles, towed offshore between Manitowoc and Two Rivers, and set ablaze before an enthusiastic public audience on July 5, 1936.
Eyewitness accounts and news articles indicate she was soaked in oil, packed with crates, rags, and kindling, and ignited at nightfall. She burned to the waterline and sank in shallow water. Her remains are believed to lie buried beneath the sands of Maritime Bay. The exact site has not been positively located.
CURRENT CONDITION & ACCESSIBILITY
- Status: Presumed destroyed by fire and sand burial
- Diving Suitability: No known dive site; remains unconfirmed
- Search Status: Wreckage has not been conclusively identified. Some sonar targets remain under investigation by NOAA and the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
LEGACY & SIGNIFICANCE
The PERE MARQUETTE 6 stands as a symbol of the evolution—and decline—of Great Lakes commerce vessels. Her transformation from lumber barge to passenger steamer to derrick barge spans decades of Great Lakes history. Her deliberate burning as public entertainment illustrates a surreal yet poignant example of how aging vessels were discarded before maritime heritage preservation became common.
She may be gone, but she remains a flickering flame in the story of Lake Michigan’s maritime legacy.
REFERENCES & LINKS
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Sheboygan Press, July 1, 1936
- Thunder Bay Research Collection – C. Patrick Labadie Archives
- NOAA & Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary
- Burger & Burger Shipbuilding Records
- Wreck Wednesday Post – Facebook
- Shotline Diving Database
KEYWORDS
PereMarquette6 #MarkBCovell #Manitowoc #GreatLakesShipwrecks #BurnedShip #WreckWednesday #MaritimeHeritage #WisconsinWrecks #LakeMichiganShipwrecks #CentennialFire
pere-marquette-6-mark-b-covell 1936-07-05 08:36:00
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