Thomas A. Scott US 24785

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Thomas A. Scott
• Type: Wooden package freighter (later used as a schooner-barge)
• Year Built: 1869
• Builder: Hitchcock & Gibson
• Dimensions: 201 ft (61.3 m) × 33.7 ft; 13.8 ft depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage: 1,159.32 gross
• Depth at Wreck Site: 15 m / 50 ft
• Location: Milwaukee Bay, Lake Michigan
• Official Number: 24785
• Original Owners: James C. & Edwin T. Evans, later William Wells
• Number of Masts: Single mast (wire rigged), multiple decks

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Wooden package freighter, later converted to a schooner-barge.

Description

The Thomas A. Scott was a sizeable wooden package freighter launched in 1869 and later converted into a schooner-barge. She was built by Hitchcock & Gibson in Buffalo, New York, and had a gross tonnage of 1,159.32. The vessel was rigged with a single mast and had multiple decks, allowing for a cargo capacity of approximately 25,000 bushels.

History

Chronology & Operational History:

• 28 April 1869: Launched; enrolled Buffalo 12 May. Entered service with Evans Line carrying freight.
• 17 November 1869: Struck a reef and sank in the Straits of Mackinac (Lake Huron); subsequently raised June 1870 by Coast Wrecking Company and returned to Wolverton’s yard.
• 1871: Ownership by Erie & Western Transportation Company; operated the Anchor Line between Buffalo, Erie, Chicago.
• 1877: Converted to a schooner-barge rig in Buffalo (reduced rig, retaining cargo capacity).
• 1880 (29 October): While anchored in Milwaukee Bay with 44,000 bushels of corn in tow of steamer Conemaugh, collided with steamer Avon; a gash opened along the starboard side, and within 25 minutes she sank bow-first in about 50 ft of water, one mile east of the piers.

Significant Incidents

Final Disposition:

• Date of Loss: 29 October 1880
• Location: Milwaukee Bay, Lake Michigan; ~1 mile east of harbor piers
• Cause: Collision—rammed by Avon while at anchor; structural compromise led to rapid sinking
• Cargo at Loss: Approximately 44,000 bushels of corn
• Casualties: Not explicitly reported—no fatalities noted in primary sources
• Wreck Depth: Approximately 50 ft (~15 m)

Final Disposition

The Thomas A. Scott sank on 29 October 1880 after a collision with the steamer Avon. The wreck is located approximately one mile east of the harbor piers in Milwaukee Bay, resting at a depth of about 50 feet.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Structurally compromised but likely resting largely intact in about 50 feet of water. The site lies within diving depth; exploration by technical divers would be feasible pending precise location data. No widely published survey records exist, but a sonar search in Milwaukee Bay may reveal remains.

Resources & Links

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Recovery of harbor logs, insurance records, and period newspaper accounts may yield crew lists, salvage outcomes, and narrative details of the accident. The wreck of the Thomas A. Scott remains a significant site for maritime history and diving exploration.