Peter Doling (1848)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Peter Doling
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1848
• Builder: Girard
• Dimensions: 78.6 ft (23.96 m); Beam: 14.6 ft (4.45 m); Depth of hold: 5.67–6 ft (~1.7–1.83 m)
• Registered Tonnage: ~60.6 GT
• Location: Near Racine lighthouse, Lake Michigan
• Coordinates: Exact GPS coordinates undocumented (site uncertain/unconfirmed)
• Official Number: Not recorded
• Original Owners: Vere Stenton, Detroit, Michigan
• Number of Masts: Two-masted

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

• Two-masted wooden schooner of ~60 GT, designed for coastal freighting of perishable goods (fruit, lumber) on Lake Michigan.

Description

• Hull built of wooden planks on timber frames. Light frame suggests coastal cargo routes.
• Carrying mixed cargo: lumber and fruit—likely packed in barrels/crates.
• No official registry number recorded; indicative of small mercantile schooners of mid-19th century.

History

• Early owner: Vere Stenton, Detroit, Michigan; home port likely Chicago, IL.
• Often reported as “P. Dolan” in newspapers of the time, perhaps a misprint or alternative name usage.
• Routine lumber/fruit trading to Milwaukee suggests modest commercial activity with no high-profile incidents before final voyage.
• Crew and captain names are not recorded in known accounts; no loss of life reported (0 lives lost).

Significant Incidents

• The schooner began taking on water and was waterlogged for ~48 hours, then drifted ashore near Racine lighthouse.
• According to the Milwaukee Sentinel (16 Sept 1857), the vessel “went ashore … got off yesterday morning, and is now lying in the harbor, sunk.” She was not reported broken up or dismantled—all crew presumed safe; cargo presumably spoiled or salvaged.
• No insurance, inquiry, salvage, or insurance board records appear in available summaries—lack of registry number suggests limited official documentation.

Final Disposition

• There is no confirmed wreck site location: the Wisconsin Shipwrecks database notes “map image unconfirmed location,” implying the physical remains have not been definitively located by sonar or diver investigation.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• No Notices to Mariners or marine charts identify the wreck site historically or in modern times. Status: none noted.
• Possibly considered a minor hazard immediately after stranding; no lasting hazard issuance recorded.

Resources & Links

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The schooner Peter Doling provides a typical example of small mid-19th-century freight work done by wooden schooners in the Great Lakes. Laden with lumber and fruit, her waterlogging and grounding without loss of life reflect the perils of early sailing commerce. Without formal registry or insurance, the vessel remained obscure save for newspaper mention. No physical wreck has been confirmed. For maritime archaeology, her remains—if ever located—would offer insight into small coastal schooner construction and low-value trade routes, though little wreck structure may remain given shallow water, salvage, and decomposition.