Plymouth Rock (1854)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Plymouth Rock
• Type: Steamer (Sidewheel passenger/freight steamer)
• Year Built: 1854
• Builder: Buffalo, New York
• Dimensions: Length 335 ft 10 in (102.4 m); Beam 42 ft (12.8 m); Depth of hold 14 ft 6 in (4.4 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 1,991 13/95
• Depth at Wreck Site: 4.4 m / 14.5 ft
• Location: Port Huron, Michigan
• Original Owners: Michigan Central Rail Road Co., Detroit, Michigan; Ruben N. Rice, superintendent
• Number of Masts: 1

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Plymouth Rock was one of the largest wooden sidewheel steamers on the Great Lakes, designed as a luxurious passenger and package-freight carrier. With her sister ship, Western World, she was intended to dominate the booming mid-19th-century passenger trade between Lake Erie and Lake Michigan ports.

Description

This enormous sidewheel steamer carried two thousand passengers in a single trip, featuring spacious saloons, cabins, and elegant upper-deck accommodations typical of first-class steamboats of the era. The vertical beam engine, among the largest then built for the Great Lakes, powered 39-foot paddle wheels with enough force to sustain long voyages even against strong currents.

History

Key milestones:

• 1854, Mar 21 – Launched at Buffalo, NY
• 1854, Jul 21 – Enrolled at Detroit, MI
• 1854, Oct 25 – Collided with schooner Sarah A. Green in the Detroit River
• 1855, Mar – Received improvements to boilers, staterooms, and cabins
• 1857 – Laid up at Detroit
• 1859, Aug 31 – Struck schooner Louisa at Detroit
• 1863, May 2 – Registered to Boston, Massachusetts; dismantled at Buffalo; engine shipped to New York for use in another vessel also named Plymouth Rock
• 1863, Jun 25 – Hull converted into a bark (rigged sailing vessel)
• 1869, Nov 23 – Filled with water in a storm on Lake Huron
• 1871, Sep 16 – Hull repurposed by Fitzgerald & Leighton and brought to Port Huron, MI for use as a floating drydock

Significant Incidents

• Collided with schooner Sarah A. Green in the Detroit River on October 25, 1854.
• Struck schooner Louisa at Detroit on August 31, 1859.
• Filled with water in a storm on Lake Huron on November 23, 1869.

Final Disposition

Final Location: Port Huron, Michigan

Fate: Hull converted for use as a drydock after being laid up and repurposed.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No modern underwater wreck site documented, as the hull was ultimately converted and reused ashore.

Resources & Links

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The Plymouth Rock represents one of the greatest engineering and commercial feats of early Great Lakes steam navigation. Her massive wooden hull, powerful beam engine, and sidewheels made her a technological leader of her day, supporting thousands of passengers at a time. While her sailing conversion and final use as a floating drydock meant she was never lost at sea, her story highlights the transformation and reuse common among 19th-century steamers.