Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Truant
- Type: Schooner-yacht
- Year Built: 1876
- Builder: Jacob Lorillard
- Dimensions: Length: 76.1 ft (23.2 m); Beam: 15.9 ft; Depth of hold: 5 ft
- Registered Tonnage: 32.14
- Location: Off Chicago, Illinois
- Coordinates: Exact coordinates unconfirmed
- Official Number: 145106
- Original Owners: John S. Newberry, Truman Newberry, Emmett H. Scott, Wm. R. Linn, George Jepson, Mrs. Florence Jepson, Emil Popp, Fred Hintze
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Truant is classified as a schooner-yacht, originally built as a luxury steam yacht and later repurposed as a passenger vessel.
Description
Constructed in 1876 in Brooklyn, New York, the Truant was a wooden vessel with a single deck and a screw steamer propulsion system. It featured a steeple compound engine with a horsepower of 85 and was equipped with a single propeller.
History
The operational history of the Truant spans from 1876 to 1935, during which it underwent several ownership changes and name alterations. Initially owned by John S. Newberry, it served as a luxury steam yacht until 1892 when it was renamed PILGRIM and sold to interests in Lake Michigan. The vessel was rebuilt into a passenger ferry in 1900 and continued to operate under various names, including HUM and HOWARD F., before being renamed T. B. BANNER in 1925.
Significant Incidents
- 1935: Officially abandoned on the North Branch of the Chicago River.
- 1935: Towed into Lake Michigan and scuttled, likely due to age and condition.
Final Disposition
The Truant was scuttled in Lake Michigan in 1935. The exact coordinates of the scuttling are unconfirmed, and there is no record of salvage operations following its abandonment.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The current condition of the wreck is unknown, as it was scuttled and no salvage has been reported. The site may be accessible for diving, but specific dive conditions are not documented.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”truant-pilgrim-hum-howard-f-t-b-banner-us-145106″ title=”References & Links”]
The Truant represents a significant piece of maritime history, illustrating the transition from luxury steam yacht to commercial passenger vessel, and its scuttling marks the end of an era for similar vessels on the Great Lakes.
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.
Identification & Construction
- Also known as: PILGRIM, HUM, HOWARD F., T. B. BANNER
- U.S. Official Number: 145106
- Built: 1876, Brooklyn, New York
- Builder: Jacob Lorillard
- Original Owner: John S. Newberry, Detroit, Michigan
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Rig: Schooner-yacht (2 masts)
- Propulsion: Screw steamer
- Engine: Steeple compound, Ward, Stanton & Co., New York, NY
- Cylinders: 9″ + 16″ x 12″ stroke
- Horsepower: 85 HP
- Boilers: 1
- Propeller: 1
- Dimensions
- Length: 76.1 feet
- Beam: 15.9 feet
- Depth: 5 feet
- Gross Tonnage: 32.14
- Net Tonnage: 25.16
Operational Chronology
- 1876–1891: Luxury steam yacht under ownership of John S. Newberry (industrialist, Detroit), later passed to Helen H. Newberry.
- 1892: Transferred to Truman Newberry; renamed PILGRIM; sold to Lake Michigan interests.
- 1896: Owned by Emmett H. Scott, LaPorte, Indiana.
- 1900: Purchased by Wm. R. Linn of Charlevoix, MI; rebuilt at Grand Haven into a single-deck passenger ferry; entered service between Charlevoix and East Jordan.
- 1901–1905: Owned by George Jepson, East Jordan, MI; renamed HUM.
- 1912: Ownership transferred to Mrs. Florence Jepson, East Jordan.
- 1918: Rebuilt in Chicago as a double-decked excursion steamer.
- 1919: Renamed HOWARD F.
- 1925: Sold to Emil Popp of Chicago and renamed T. B. BANNER.
- 1931: Acquired by Fred Hintze, Chicago.
- 1935: Officially abandoned on the North Branch of the Chicago River; later towed into Lake Michigan and scuttled.
Final Disposition
- Date: 1935
- Final Act: Scuttled in Lake Michigan, likely for disposal due to age and condition
- Location: Off Chicago, Illinois (exact coordinates unconfirmed; no salvage known)
- Cause: Decommissioned and abandoned; no recorded fire, storm, or sinking incident
Notes & Significance
- The TRUANT represents one of the few documented Detroit-built luxury steam yachts to later be repurposed as a commercial passenger vessel, undergoing multiple ownership and identity changes over a nearly 60-year lifespan.
- The final scuttling in Lake Michigan marks her as part of a now-lost generation of converted luxury and excursion vessels used on the Great Lakes’ inland routes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Resources & References
- U.S. Merchant Vessel Lists (1876–1935)
- Lytle-Holdcamper Records
- Dowling Collection – University of Detroit Mercy
- Milwaukee Public Library – H.G. Runge Collection
- Inland Lloyd’s Register (1891–1910)
- Steam Yacht Registry Index – C. Patrick Labadie Collection