Supply (Curtis Mann)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Supply
• Type: Two-masted brig-rigged wooden cargo vessel
• Year Built: 1855
• Builder: New York (exact yard not conclusively identified)
• Dimensions: Length: 134 ft (40.8 m); Beam: approx. 26 ft (7.9 m); Depth of hold: approx. 12 ft (3.6 m)
• Registered Tonnage:
• Depth at Wreck Site: 3 m / 10 ft
• Location: North Manitou Island, Michigan
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Two-masted brig-rigged wooden cargo vessel, commonly used for bulk freight service on the Great Lakes in the mid-19th century.

Description

Curtis Mann was a square-rigged brig with two masts, carvel-built with wooden planking over heavy oak frames. Her cargo hold was single-decked and designed for versatility, handling general bulk goods including brick, grain, or timber. Her lines would have reflected a moderate-length keel with bluff bows, a straight stem, and a transom stern, giving her both carrying capacity and reasonable speed under sail.

History

Launched in 1855 in New York, the Curtis Mann served for six years before being renamed Supply in 1861. She was engaged mainly in moving building materials and other cargoes around Lake Erie and Lake Michigan, reflecting the post–Civil War construction boom.

In November 1869, Supply departed Detroit with a load of 300,000 bricks bound for the Carp River (Upper Peninsula of Michigan). Caught in a severe autumn gale off North Manitou Island, she suffered structural failure in the heavy seas, reportedly breaking in two amidships. The woman steward succumbed to exposure, while the remainder of the crew took refuge in the rigging for two days before being rescued by the schooner Southwest, which was itself windbound nearby.

Significant Incidents

• November 15, 1869: The Supply broke in two during a gale off North Manitou Island while carrying bricks. The stewardess perished from exposure, and the crew was rescued after two days.

Final Disposition

Declared a constructive total loss. The vessel foundered and was abandoned in place. Over time, storms and shifting sand buried parts of the wreck, leaving only a section of the lower hull visible today.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck site was never formally “discovered” since it was visible soon after loss. Recreational divers in the 1970s documented a surviving hull segment measuring approximately 34.4 m (113 ft) on the sandy bottom west of North Manitou Island.

Resources & Links

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The Curtis Mann (renamed Supply) stands as a testament to the perils faced by 19th-century Great Lakes mariners transporting building materials to the developing Midwest. Its shallow, easily accessible wreck makes it an ideal site for historical study and beginner to intermediate divers, preserving a vivid snapshot of pre-steam shipping on the Great Lakes.