Rio Grande US 21473

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Rio Grande
• Type: Schooner / Brig
• Year Built: 1846
• Builder: Point Peninsula, New York
• Dimensions: 116.1 ft (35.4 m) X 24.6 ft (7.5 m); Depth: 10.2 ft (3.1 m)
• Registered Tonnage: Originally 252 tons; rebuilt to 276 tons
• Location: Off Long Point, Ohio
• Official Number: 21473
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Rio Grande was a schooner originally, later rebuilt as a brig. Designed for cargo transport on the Great Lakes.

Description

• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1
• Masts: 2
• Tonnage (old style): Originally 252 tons; rebuilt to 276 tons
• Dimensions after 1872 rebuild:
  • Length: 116.1 ft (35.4 m)
  • Beam: 24.6 ft (7.5 m)
  • Depth: 10.2 ft (3.1 m)
  • Tonnage: 203 Gross Tons (post-1872 measurement)

History

Rio Grande was launched in 1846 and enrolled at Sacketts Harbor, NY. It underwent several rebuilds and ownership changes over its 31-year career:

• 1856: Rebuilt as a brig (276 tons)
• 1859–60: Reinforced structurally; owned by E.B. Allen & Sons, Ogdensburg, NY
• 1863: Grounded at Port Colborne, Ontario
• 1864–65: Repaired and sold to Buffalo ownership
• 1871: Ashore at Presque Isle, PA in a gale
• 1872: Owned by George Hartman, Gratiot, MI; remeasured
• 1874: Rebuilt at Port Huron, MI
• 6 Sep 1877: Wrecked in a severe Lake Erie storm with the schooner Dubuque; both vessels declared total losses
• 12 Sep 1877: Documentation formally surrendered at Port Huron

Significant Incidents

Significant Incidents:

• Grounded at Port Colborne, Ontario in 1863
• Ashore at Presque Isle, PA in a gale in 1871
• Wrecked in a storm with the schooner Dubuque on 6 September 1877

Final Disposition

Rio Grande was completely wrecked during a storm and abandoned with her tow vessel, Dubuque. No lives lost are recorded, but the vessels were declared total losses.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No definitive record of a discovery or wreck site survey is publicly available.

Resources & Links

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The Rio Grande was a classic mid-19th-century Great Lakes cargo schooner with a long service record, marked by multiple rebuilds and changes in ownership. Her final loss in 1877 during a storm off Long Point underscores the hazards of commercial sail-era lake transport. No modern recovery or survey efforts are known.