Virginia (1854)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Virginia
• Type: Wooden brig, two-masted
• Year Built: 1854
• Builder: G.L. Dickenson, Henderson, New York
• Dimensions: Unknown
• Registered Tonnage: ~170 tons
• Location: Hen & Chickens Reef, west end of Lake Erie
• Coordinates: Not recorded
• Official Number: Not recorded (pre-enrollment era)
• Original Owners: Unknown
• Number of Masts: Two

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Virginia was a wooden brig of approximately 170 tons, built in 1854 by G.L. Dickenson at Henderson, New York. Typical of Great Lakes brigs of the era, she carried square sails on her foremast and fore-and-aft sails on her mainmast, configured for bulk cargo carriage such as grain. She represented a transitional type between smaller schooners and larger full-rigged vessels, suited for cross-lake freight movement.

Description

The Virginia was a wooden brig of approximately 170 tons, built in 1854 by G.L. Dickenson at Henderson, New York. Typical of Great Lakes brigs of the era, she carried square sails on her foremast and fore-and-aft sails on her mainmast, configured for bulk cargo carriage such as grain. She represented a transitional type between smaller schooners and larger full-rigged vessels, suited for cross-lake freight movement.

History

During her six years of service, Virginia operated between Oswego, Erie, and other Great Lakes ports, primarily in the grain trade. Her final voyage began in Oswego, New York, carrying a cargo of corn downbound for Erie, Pennsylvania. On 31 May 1860, while navigating the west end of Lake Erie, she stranded on Hen & Chickens Reef. Though initially described as “tightly stranded,” attempts at salvage were undertaken.

Significant Incidents

• The brig Virginia, bound down from Oswego with corn, struck Hen and Chickens Reef on May 31, 1860. She was tightly stranded. The tug Red Eric rendered assistance and succeeded in saving a portion of her cargo and rigging, but the vessel ultimately went to pieces under the action of the waves.

Final Disposition

Despite efforts by the tug Red Eric and other salvors, only a portion of her cargo and rigging were recovered. Continued wave action broke up the stranded vessel, rendering her a total constructive loss. By mid-summer 1860, Virginia had been completely destroyed, leaving no recoverable remains.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck was known immediately upon stranding. No modern rediscovery or archaeological survey has been reported. The site has likely been scoured clean by natural forces on the reef.

Resources & Links

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Hen & Chickens Reef is a well-charted hazard in western Lake Erie. While no modern advisories specifically reference the Virginia, her loss contributed to historical awareness of navigational dangers in the area.