Salvager – Lake Michigan Steamer Shipwreck (1947)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Salvager (formerly Elm)
• Type: Gas-screw derrick/salvage barge
• Year Built: 1917
• Builder: Rice Brothers Company
• Dimensions: ~101 ft (30.8 m) L × 30 ft (9.1 m) B × 9 ft (2.7 m) hold
• Registered Tonnage: 318 GT
• Location: Lake Michigan, Racine County, WI
• Original Owners: John Johnson

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

• Initially built as a wooden power-derrick tender (“Elm”) for U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1917, intended for navigation aid deployment and maintenance.
• Entirely wood except engine casing, with two derrick booms (68 ft and 40 ft) powered by steam from vertical boiler machinery.
• Later repurposed for civilian salvage or dockyard service under name Salvager, operated out of Racine under owner John Johnson.

Description

• Built in 1917, the Salvager was originally a tender for the U.S. Lighthouse Service, designed for maintaining navigation aids.
• It featured a wooden hull and was equipped with steam-powered derrick booms for lifting and moving heavy objects.
• After its service with the Lighthouse Service, it transitioned to civilian operations, primarily in salvage and dockyard work.

History

• 1917–circa 1920s: After the fire at Rice Brothers yard on July 10, 1917, construction resumed, implying that the Elm was completed and launched despite damages to the yard infrastructure.
• Mid–20th century: Transitioned to civilian use in Great Lakes harbor operations, likely engaged in salvage, dredging, or lightering tasks in Racine/Milwaukee area under owner John Johnson.
• Declared “National Register Eligible” due to its heritage connection to U.S. Lighthouse Service infrastructure.

Significant Incidents

• Year of Loss: 1947.
• Fatalities: 61 lives lost (crew/passengers) — conflicting with typical crew complement for such a vessel; suggests perhaps a conversion to passenger capacity or major incident, but no corroborating details or incident logistics found in search.
• Circumstances: Not documented in available databases or archives; unclear whether the vessel capsized, caught fire, or hit hazard.
• Historical Records: Absent in Wisconsin Shipwrecks and Great Lakes accident summaries—no official marine board or USCG casualty files indexed to confirm death toll or location.
• Ambiguity: High likelihood misassociation—could reference another vessel or inflated casualty figure from a different incident.

Final Disposition

• No confirmed wreck site located.
• Not included in sonar surveys, diver logs, or archaeological inventories.
• Physical remains, if any, likely deteriorated or salvaged post-loss.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• Wreck status: Unknown or unconfirmed; potential misidentification or conflation of vessel identity.
• No reports of salvage, formal wreck removal, or hazard postings.
• No historical underwater surveys reference this vessel under those casualty conditions.

Resources & Links

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At present, the existing architectural and vessel records confirm a 1917 wooden derrick tender built by Rice Brothers, known as Elm and later Salvager, operating from Racine. However, the reported 1947 sinking with 61 lives lost lacks verification in primary sources. It likely reflects an inaccurate secondary attribution or conflation with a different vessel or tragedy.