S.S. Osborn US 23361

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: S.S. Osborn
• Type: Wooden bark
• Year Built: 1867
• Builder: Bailey Brothers
• Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage: Approx. 853 tons
• Location: Cassidy’s Reef, ~2 miles from Port Colborne
• Official Number: 23361
• Number of Masts: Three

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A three-masted, full-rigged wooden bark used primarily as bulk freight carrier—specifically hauling iron ore across Lake Erie. Built for heavy cargo trade in the late 19th century Great Lakes economy.

Description

• Wooden hull, bark rigged (square-sails), substantial iron ore capacity (~850 tons). The vessel’s size and design reflect era-typical ore transport ships.
• Registered in Fairport, indicating local regional trading routes between Lake Huron/Huron ports and Buffalo/Montreal via Erie.

History

• Built in 1867 in Fairport, Ohio by Bailey Bros., the Osborn served Midwest ore trades.
• Details on intermediate incidents are scarce, but her final voyage in 1874 bound her from Escanaba (Lake Superior iron) toward Buffalo, indicating a heavy bulk freight lane.
• Encountered a severe gale on Lake Erie, stranded onto Cassidy’s Reef near Port Colborne.
• Salvage teams initially believed she could be refloated, but persistent violent weather broke the vessel apart before significant salvage could occur.

Significant Incidents

• The vessel was wrecked and ultimately broken up on the reef under severe weather. No salvage of value; she was abandoned as a total loss.
• No records of lives lost; crew survived and were presumably rescued.
• Wreck site status: not officially surveyed or located by modern exploration; appears undisturbed or undocumented in modern databases.

Final Disposition

• The vessel was wrecked and ultimately broken up on the reef under severe weather. No salvage of value; she was abandoned as a total loss.
• No records of lives lost; crew survived and were presumably rescued.
• Wreck site status: not officially surveyed or located by modern exploration; appears undisturbed or undocumented in modern databases.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• No Notices to Mariners published for the reef hazard post-loss.
• Sources stem largely from historic registry and archival ocean-weather logs compiled in Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, with no modern hazard listing.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”s-s-osborn-us-23361″ title=”References & Links”]

S.S. Osborn represents the era’s ore-transport barkers vulnerable to Lake Erie’s notorious November storms. The incident illustrates early Great Lakes bulk trade hazards where reef-grounding in storms often spelled the vessel’s end. No fatalities reported—a somewhat uncommon outcome for this period’s wrecks, which often claimed lives.