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
[shotline_reference_links slug=”rio-grande-us-21473″ title=”References & Links”]
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.
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.
RIO GRANDE (Official No. 21473)
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Rio Grande
- Official Number: 21473
- Year Built: 1846
- Built at: Point Peninsula, New York
- Final Location: Off Long Point, Ohio, Lake Erie
- Date Lost: 6 September 1877
- How: Wrecked in a storm with tow companion Dubuque
- Final Status: Total loss, abandoned
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
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.
Located By & Date Found
No definitive record of a discovery or wreck site survey is publicly available.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes – Entry for RIO GRANDE
- Great Lakes Vessels – BGSU Database
- Labadie Collection (C. Patrick Labadie)
- Enrollments & Official Records – U.S. National Archives
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas – Richard Tatley
Conclusion
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.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Schooner, brig, wood-hulled
- Lake Erie wreck
- 19th-century commercial vessel
- Storm loss
- Long Point, Ohio
- Rebuilt vessels
- Cargo trade