Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Schuylkill
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1873
- Builder: Gibson, Buffalo, NY
- Dimensions: 152 × 31 × 12 ft (46 × 9.4 × 3.7 m); gross tonnage 472 ft
- Registered Tonnage: 472 ft
- Location: Near entrance to Portage Ship Canal, Keweenaw Peninsula
- Official Number: 115145
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Wooden-hulled schooner designed for bulk freight—primarily carrying iron ore on Lake Superior.
Description
A classic Great Lakes schooner-rigged vessel, built of wood with a single deck, center cargo hold, and fore-and-aft sail rig. It hauled iron ore, no additional propulsion machinery.
History
- Operational Role: Transported iron ore from Lake Superior ports (e.g., Ashland, WI) often as tow consort alongside steam vessels like Bessemer.
- Voyage Details: On 5 Oct 1889, Schuylkill was being towed by the steamer-barge Bessemer from Ashland to Cleveland loaded with iron ore.
Significant Incidents
- Cause: Encountered a sudden NW gale with heavy seas and snow squalls; both vessels sought shelter at the Portage Ship Canal entrance.
- Grounding & Breakup: Both Schuylkill and Bessemer grounded on the breakwater reef, colliding under wave action; structural stress caused rapid breakup.
- Casualties: No loss of life; crew escaped by jumping onto the breakwater.
Final Disposition
Wreckage partly blocked the canal until cleared with dynamite the following fall. Remains were subsequently broken up or pushed off reef.
Current Condition & Accessibility
- Discovery: Early records confirm wrecking, but no modern rediscovery information is available—site likely too shallow and disturbed.
- Condition: Likely severely broken-up on breakwater reef; only fragments may remain.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”schuylkill-us-115145″ title=”References & Links”]
The loss of the Schuylkill exemplifies late-19th-century maritime hazards on Lake Superior—iron-ore schooners towed in convoy during early-season gales. Though decomposed and disturbed, the wreck remains an important historical incident, illustrating tow logistics and canal navigation hazards of the era.
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.
wooden schooner, U.S. Official No. 115145; built 1873 – wrecked 5 Oct 1889
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Schuylkill (sometimes spelled “Schuykill”) (stantontownship.com)
- Official Number: 115145 (stantontownship.com)
- Built: 1873, Gibson, Buffalo, NY (stantontownship.com)
- Dimensions: 152 × 31 × 12 ft (46×9.4×3.7 m); gross tonnage 472 t (stantontownship.com)
- Loss: Grounded and broke up near entrance to Portage Ship Canal (Keweenaw Peninsula, Lake Superior) on 5 Oct 1889 (stantontownship.com)
Vessel Type
Wooden-hulled schooner designed for bulk freight—primarily carrying iron ore on Lake Superior.
Description
A classic Great Lakes schooner-rigged vessel, built of wood with a single deck, center cargo hold, and fore-and-aft sail rig. It hauled iron ore, no additional propulsion machinery.
History
- Operational Role: Transported iron ore from Lake Superior ports (e.g., Ashland, WI) often as tow consort alongside steam vessels like Bessemer (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, stantontownship.com).
- Voyage Details: On 5 Oct 1889, Schuylkill was being towed by the steamer-barge Bessemer from Ashland to Cleveland loaded with iron ore (stantontownship.com).
Incident & Casualties
- Cause: Encountered a sudden NW gale with heavy seas and snow squalls; both vessels sought shelter at the Portage Ship Canal entrance (stantontownship.com).
- Grounding & Breakup: Both Schuylkill and Bessemer grounded on the breakwater reef, colliding under wave action; structural stress caused rapid breakup (stantontownship.com).
- Casualties: No loss of life; crew escaped by jumping onto the breakwater (stantontownship.com).
Disposition
Wreckage partly blocked the canal until cleared with dynamite the following fall (stantontownship.com). Remains were subsequently broken up or pushed off reef.
Located & Site Condition
- Discovery: Early records confirm wrecking, but no modern rediscovery information is available—site likely too shallow and disturbed.
- Condition: Likely severely broken-up on breakwater reef; only fragments may remain.
Notices & Advisories
No official Notices to Mariners recorded. The wreck caused navigational obstruction briefly until clearance was completed.
Resources & Citations
- Portage Ship Canal Life‑Saving Station assist report (stantontownship.com)
- Great Lakes shipwreck files overview, including technical vessel data (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
- Amherstburg Echo maritime bulletin on wrecking and no casualties (marshcollection.org)
Conclusion
The loss of the Schuylkill exemplifies late-19th-century maritime hazards on Lake Superior—iron-ore schooners towed in convoy during early-season gales. Though decomposed and disturbed, the wreck remains an important historical incident, illustrating tow logistics and canal navigation hazards of the era.
Research Gaps & Next Steps
- No known diver surveys of the wreck; likely no intact structure remains.
- No identified crew lists or personal records—suggest archival search in Portage Ship Canal LS station logs or Chicago shipping registers for crew manifests.
- Local newspapers (e.g., Pioneer, Ashland; Duluth News) from Oct 1889 could provide more detail on salvage and canal blockage.