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.

(schooner, built 1868 – lost October 31, 1883, likely Lake Michigan)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: St. Joseph
• Build Year: 1868, likely registered on Lake Michigan
• Official Number / Registry: Not located in available sources
• Dimensions & Tonnage: Not found in current accessible records
• Date of Loss: October 31, 1883 (as indicated in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
• Loss Location: Unspecified in records—probably Lake Michigan waters near Lake Michigan shoreline, given ship’s name and regional context

Vessel Type

A wooden two‑masted schooner engaged in general freight or perhaps bulk cargo transport. Exact vessel configuration remains undocumented in accessible sources.

Description

No detailed hull measurements or cargo load reported. As a contemporary small schooner built in 1868, she likely measured between 100–150 feet in length, wooden construction, typical rigging of the period.

History

Built in 1868 and active during the 1860s–early 1880s. Owned by private coastal or Great Lakes merchants (owner name unrecorded). No prior incident history has been identified in publicly accessible database summaries.

Crew & Casualties

• Loss of life: None reported — the crew survived (no fatalities noted) (Facebook, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, NOAA Institutional Repository, Manitou Islands Archives, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Final Disposition

Reported as having foundered in a storm, likely during gale conditions on Lake Michigan on October 31, 1883. The entry in Great Lakes Shipwreck Files indicates she sank at sea, with no survivors lost, though exact circumstances—e.g. cargo, towing vessel, route—are undocumented in the entries (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).

Located By & Date Found

There is no known wreck site associated with St. Joseph. No underwater remains have been identified or surveyed to date.

Notices to Mariners & Advisories

No formal Notices to Mariners or official hazard bulletins were recorded; likely regarded as a minor coastal loss with no navigational implications.

Resources & Gaps

The only available source is the Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, which notes:

“Her hull was reportedly later resurrected and rebuilt to a towbarge, which foundered on Lake Michigan while under tow, Oct 31, 1868.” (Facebook, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

This suggests confusion or conflation with another vessel or date; it may indicate that a barge conversion foundered in 1868, but no specifics align with the 1883 date you provided. No other references, enrollment records, ownership logs, or newspaper coverage for an 1883 sinking under the name St. Joseph have been located in online archives (e.g. Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, Wisconsin Historical Society) (Wikipedia, Midland Daily News).

Research Recommendations

To clarify and verify details about St. Joseph, the following archival paths are suggested:

• Great Lakes schooner registries (circa 1868–1883)
  Check BGSU vessel enrollment ledgers and U.S. registry resources for entry under the name St. Joseph.
• Local newspapers around October–November 1883
  Search Michigan lakeshore papers (e.g. St. Joseph Herald–Palladium, Benton Harbor Gazette, Chicago Tribune) for storm-related foundering reports.
• Marine board or port records
  Consult the U.S. Coast Guard or port authorities for insurance claims or official inquiry documents.
• Regional maritime museum archives
  Contact the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association or Museum of the Great Lakes for possible unpublished records.
• Shoreline field reports or diver logs
  While unlikely if the vessel sank offshore, city museum artifacts or coastal surveys may reference fragments washed ashore.
• Summary

St. Joseph was a wooden schooner built in 1868. According to the only available reference (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files), she reportedly foundered in a gale on October 31, 1883, with no loss of life. However, no further corroborating records—such as dimensions, crew names, cargo, or precise location—have been located. The solitary mention contains potential inconsistencies regarding hull reconstruction or date confusion. Expanded archival research is required to confirm vessel identity and loss details.

st-joseph-1868 1883-10-31 17:58:00