Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Recovery
- Type: Wooden schooner
- Year Built: 1812–1818 (exact year uncertain)
- Builder: Likely built on Lake Superior for the Hudson’s Bay Company
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: ~40–90 tons
- Location: Likely on Lake Superior or nearby waters
- Coordinates: Exact coastline unknown
- Original Owners: Hudson’s Bay Company
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Recovery was a wooden schooner, utilized primarily in the fur trade and provisioning. Its exact military status remains unconfirmed.
Description
Last official mention of the Recovery indicates it was stranded and destroyed, described as ‘wrecked and broken up on the beach.’ No recorded cargo, route, or master exists, nor precise details of the weather or event leading to its loss. It appears the vessel was either uncrewed or sailed in coastal waters during rough weather when it grounded and was battered ashore.
History
A second vessel named Recovery, approximately 100 tons, was also known as a Hudson’s Bay Company schooner built in the Lake Superior region; however, its fate diverges from this wreck. Both vessels predate comprehensive maritime registries, resulting in limited documentation.
Significant Incidents
- Reported stranded and broken up on a Great Lakes beach by 1820.
- No recorded casualties; assumed none onboard at the time of wreck.
Final Disposition
The Recovery remains an early, poorly documented vessel lost in the Lake Superior region. Without confirmation of the master, exact date, or beaching location, it stands as an archival footnote, a candidate for deep archival hunts.
Current Condition & Accessibility
As of now, the exact location of the wreck is unknown, and it remains a subject for further research and exploration.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”recovery-1812″ title=”References & Links”]
If you wish to attempt location or historical reconstruction, next steps include contacting Hudson’s Bay Company archives, provincial shipwright records, and conducting archaeological surveys in candidate shoreline areas.
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.
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Recovery
- Built: 1812–1818 (exact year uncertain), likely on Lake Superior for the Hudson’s Bay Company
- Vessel Type: Wooden schooner (~40–90 tons) used in fur-trade and provisioning (not confirmed as military)
- Loss: Reported stranded and broken up on a Great Lakes beach by 1820
- Located: Likely on Lake Superior or nearby waters (exact coastline unknown)
- Casualties: Not recorded—assumed none onboard at time of wreck
Final Voyage & Wreck
- Last official mention places the Recovery stranded and destroyed: “Wrecked and broken up on the beach.”
- No recorded cargo, route, or master, nor precise details of weather or event (the storm date is inferred due to absence of official records).
- It appears the vessel was uncrewed or sailed in coastal waters during rough weather when she grounded and was battered ashore.
Archival & Historical Context
- A second Recovery (~100 tons) was known as a Hudson’s Bay Company schooner built in the Lake Superior region—but its fate diverges from this wreck (MN historical vessel accounts).
- Both vessels predate comprehensive maritime registries, leading to limited documentation.
Research Gaps & Proposed Strategies
| Research Area | Approach |
|---|---|
| Construction & Official Records | Contact Provincial Archives of Ontario and Library & Archives Canada for early Lake Superior ship plans and HBC vessel lists |
| Fur-trade correspondence | Examine Hudson’s Bay Company post journals (York Factory, Fort William) for mention of vessel launch, use, or loss |
| Newspaper & lighthouse logs | Seek sparse western Great Lakes or maritime authority logs (1812–1820) recording vessel strandings |
| Archaeological survey | Compare known early-19th-century wreck sites on Lake Superior shores for candidate hull material or debris fields |
| Crew or passengers | Investigate HBC or local mission records for any mention of staffing, accident, or abandonment |
Conclusion
The Recovery stands as an early, poorly documented vessel lost in the Lake Superior region. Without confirmation of master, exact date, or beaching location, she remains an archival footnote—a candidate for deep archival hunts. If you want to attempt location or historical reconstruction, next steps include HBC archives, provincial shipwright records, and archaeology survey in candidate shoreline areas.
Would you like me to draft archive outreach messages—especially to the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives—or prepare a research itinerary for fur-trade vessel records in early Lake Superior?
recovery-1812 1820-07-22 00:57:00