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.

UNKNOWN 1920s MOTOR YACHT (St. Clair Flats)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Unknown 1920s Motor Yacht
• Year Built: circa 1920s
• Vessel Type: Motor Yacht
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1
• Number of Masts: None
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 14.6 m (48 ft)
• Final Location: St. Clair Flats, near the Michigan–Ontario border
• Date Lost: Undetermined (1920s–1930s probable)
• Final Disposition: Burned to waterline and sank
• Final Cargo: None (pleasure craft)

Vessel Type

This was a privately owned wooden motor yacht, designed for leisure cruising on the Great Lakes during the height of the motor yachting boom of the 1920s.

Description

The vessel was powered by twin gasoline or diesel engines mounted side-by-side, unusually placed far forward, about 4.5–5.8 m (15–19 ft) aft of the bow. Long drive shafts and exhaust pipes extended to the stern to drive twin propellers. Despite its twin-screw configuration, it was fitted with only a single rudder, a somewhat unusual feature for twin-engine yachts.

Brass hardware fittings are scattered on the site, including probable decorative and functional elements, consistent with the high-end pleasure craft of the era.

History

This type of yacht reflects the 1920s trend among wealthy Great Lakes pleasure boaters, who prized fast, stylish cruisers equipped with powerful twin engines and ornate hardware. Although its ownership records are not confirmed, its design suggests it belonged to an affluent private owner.

No conclusive evidence ties the yacht to a specific incident or year of loss, but local divers and historians generally agree it burned and sank in the St. Clair Flats sometime between the late 1920s and 1930s, consistent with its construction style.

Final Disposition

Total loss after fire burned the vessel to the waterline, with the hull and machinery left on the lakebed in the St. Clair Flats

Located By & Date Found

No formal survey recorded, but the site has been well known to local divers since at least the 1980s.

Notmars & Advisories

None noted officially. Boaters should be cautious in the area and divers should mark the site with a surface marker buoy due to high recreational traffic.

Shore Dive Information

• Shore Access Location: Not practical for shore diving — best accessed by boat
• Entry Type: Boat entry
• Depth Range: Likely 3–6 m (10–20 ft)
• Current & Conditions: Generally slow current, visibility varies with St. Clair River flow
• Points of Interest: Engines mounted far forward, twin long shafts, brass fittings
• Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate
• Safety & Emergency Info:
  • Nearest hyperbaric: Detroit Receiving Hospital, Detroit, MI
  • U.S. Coast Guard Sarnia or Detroit sectors
  • 911 U.S. and 112 Canada
• Local Regulations: Dive flag required, no artifact removal
• Best Time to Dive: Late summer, when river flow is lower and visibility improves
• Driving Directions:
  • Google Maps St. Clair Flats
  • Apple Maps St. Clair Flats
• Additional Resources:
  • Save Ontario Shipwrecks
  • Local dive shops in Port Huron and Algonac

Conclusion

This burned-out 1920s motor yacht wreck provides a fascinating look at Great Lakes leisure boating between the World Wars. Its rare twin-engine, single-rudder design, along with the presence of high-quality brass fittings, makes it a valuable site for divers and historians interested in early personal motor yachts. Despite its deterioration, it remains a local dive highlight in the St. Clair Flats.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

1920s yacht • burned wreck • St. Clair River • Great Lakes pleasure craft • twin-engine motor yacht • shallow dive • brass fittings • wreck diving • recreational boating history

st-clair-flats-motor-yacht 1920-03-14 07:50:00