Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Smith & Post (1866)

Explore the wreck of the Smith & Post, a unique wooden tow vessel that served as a lightship before its fiery demise in 1901.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Smith & Post
  • Type: Wooden cargo steamer
  • Year Built: 1866
  • Builder:
  • Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
  • Registered Tonnage:
  • Location:
  • Original Owners: Lake Carriers’ Association

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

  • Wooden-hulled steam tow vessel adapted to lightship duties—a rare hybrid, likely refitted with stationary lighting atop pilothouse. No registration number located. Requisitioned temporarily by the Lake Carriers’ Association to serve as navigational aid.

Description

  • Traditional Great Lakes wooden tow vessel, steam-powered (likely single-screw), with auxiliary tow equipment. No tonnage or engine specifics recovered. When chartered as lightship, would have had deck fixtures and lamp housing.

History

  • 1866–1901: Operated as tow/vessel (details obscure)
  • Pre-August 1901: Chartered by Lake Carriers’ Association under Lighthouse Service authority to fill a lightship station on the Great Lakes.
  • July–August 1901: Anchored in place as floating navigational aid
  • August 7, 1901: A fire erupted aboard, causing her to founder—not salvaged and deemed irrecoverable

Significant Incidents

  • On August 7, 1901, the vessel caught fire and foundered; no detailed logs of crew loss or salvage found (“none” in records). Declared total loss.

Final Disposition

  • Vessel burned and sunk; charred wreck likely broke apart. No subsequent salvage noted, no hull remains recorded in NOAA or local marine hazard logs. As a lightship, she was an official navigational aid yet ended in total loss.

Current Condition & Accessibility

  • No specific Notice to Mariners archived referencing Smith & Post. Discontinuation of station implied. No post-sinking hazards notified, likely due to rapid settlement of wreck in shallow waters.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”smith-post-1866″ title=”References & Links”]

Smith & Post stands as a rare example of a Great Lakes towing vessel pressed into lightship duty. Her demise by fire and sinking on August 7, 1901, abruptly ended her service. With no record of recovery, she likely rests as a wooden-hulled wreck—though its location and condition are unverified. Further archival research and targeted survey could illuminate her role and fate more fully.

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.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Smith & Post
  • Built: 1866, Great Lakes wooden cargo steamer (tow – evidence from charter)
  • Role: Chartered by Lake Carriers’ Association as a temporary lightship (via U.S. Lighthouse Service contract) (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, uslhs.org)
  • Final Event: On August 7, 1901, the vessel caught fire and foundered; no detailed logs of crew loss or salvage found (“none” in records). Declared total loss.

Vessel Type

  • Wooden-hulled steam tow vessel adapted to lightship duties—a rare hybrid, likely refitted with stationary lighting atop pilothouse. No registration number located. Requisitioned temporarily by the Lake Carriers’ Association to serve as navigational aid.

Description & Propulsion

  • Traditional Great Lakes wooden tow vessel, steam-powered (likely single-screw), with auxiliary tow equipment. No tonnage or engine specifics recovered. When chartered as lightship, would have had deck fixtures and lamp housing.

Service History

  • 1866–1901: Operated as tow/vessel (details obscure)
  • Pre-August 1901: Chartered by Lake Carriers’ Association under Lighthouse Service authority to fill a lightship station on the Great Lakes (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • July–August 1901: Anchored in place as floating navigational aid
  • August 7, 1901: A fire erupted aboard, causing her to founder—not salvaged and deemed irrecoverable

Final Disposition

  • Vessel burned and sunk; charred wreck likely broke apart. No subsequent salvage noted, no hull remains recorded in NOAA or local marine hazard logs. As a lightship, she was an official navigational aid yet ended in total loss.

Notices & Advisories

  • No specific Notice to Mariners archived referencing Smith & Post. Discontinuation of station implied. No post-sinking hazards notified, likely due to rapid settlement of wreck in shallow waters.

Research Gaps & Recommended Investigation

  • Construction & Ownership: No yard or ownership records found—possible in Lighthouse Service or Association SARs.
  • Charter Contract Details: Lake Carriers’ and Lighthouse Service annual reports (1900–1902 period) may have charter terms and station location.
  • Fire Reports: Local newspapers around August 1901 in Great Lakes port cities could yield incident narrative and casualty info.
  • Wreck Location: Underwater surveys or side-scan might identify remains if shallow. Contact NOAA Office of Coast Survey for archived wreck charts.

Conclusion

Smith & Post stands as a rare example of a Great Lakes towing vessel pressed into lightship duty. Her demise by fire and sinking on August 7, 1901, abruptly ended her service. With no record of recovery, she likely rests as a wooden-hulled wreck—though its location and condition are unverified. Further archival research and targeted survey could illuminate her role and fate more fully.

Keywords

Smith & Post, 1866 wooden tow vessel, Lake Carriers’ Association, temporary lightship, Great Lakes navigational aid, 1901 fire, foundered, Lighthouse Service contract.

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