Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

W.H. Rounds US 21300

Explore the wreck of the W.H. Rounds, a wooden schooner lost in 1905, located near Harrisville, MI, with potential for shallow-water diving.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: W.H. Rounds
  • Type: Wooden schooner (coal-carrying)
  • Year Built: 1875
  • Builder: Tonawanda, NY
  • Dimensions: ~138 ft × 26 ft × 11 ft
  • Registered Tonnage: ~309 gross / 293 net tons
  • Depth at Wreck Site: 6 m / 20 ft
  • Location: Approximately 2 miles offshore—likely Black River Reef—Lake Huron, near Harrisville, MI
  • Official Number: 21300
  • Number of Masts: Two-masted

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Type: Two-masted wooden schooner

Role: Bulk coal transport within the Great Lakes

Description

The W.H. Rounds was a wooden schooner built in 1875, primarily used for transporting coal across the Great Lakes. The vessel was approximately 138 feet long, 26 feet wide, and had a depth of 11 feet, typical for vessels of its era.

History

On 2 May 1905, while transporting coal on Lake Huron, the W.H. Rounds was caught in a violent spring storm. The schooner was driven onto a reef—likely Black River Reef—some 2 miles offshore. The hull was breached and the vessel quickly took water, with no possibility of salvage. Fortunately, the crew escaped and reached shore safely. Word of the loss took nearly a week to reach shipping authorities.

Significant Incidents

  • Loss occurred due to a storm causing grounding on a reef.
  • No casualties; all crew members survived.

Final Disposition

The W.H. Rounds was driven onto a reef and wrecked, resulting in total loss of the vessel.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck site is approximately 2 miles off Harrisville, Michigan, on a reef at a depth of about 15–20 feet. It may be accessible to snorkelers or shallow-water divers, although the wreckage is likely broken and near the surface. The site is not currently charted on Notices to Mariners, and no modern dive or sonar surveys have confirmed the vessel’s exact location.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”w-h-rounds-us-21300″ title=”References & Links”]

The W.H. Rounds serves as a poignant example of late-era wooden bulk schooners and their vulnerability to spring storms and reef collisions in Lake Huron. Her sinking—so near land and without loss of life—offers both a historical narrative and a potential shallow-water dive site, pending verification.

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.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Vessel Name: W.H. Rounds
  • Year Built: 1875 (Tonawanda, NY)
  • Official Number: 21300 (per Great Lakes Shipwreck Files) (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, wisconsinshipwrecks.org)
  • Vessel Type: Wooden schooner (coal-carrying)
  • Final Disposition: Driven onto reef and wrecked
  • Date of Loss: 2 May 1905
  • Location: Approximately 2 miles offshore—likely Black River Reef—Lake Huron, near Harrisville, MI (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • Cause of Loss: Storm—nautical grounding on reef
  • Cargo: Coal
  • Casualties: None; crew survived and reached shore (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Vessel Type & Specifications

Incident Overview

On 2 May 1905, while transporting coal on Lake Huron, the W.H. Rounds was caught in a violent spring storm. The schooner was driven onto a reef—likely Black River Reef—some 2 miles offshore. The hull was breached and the vessel quickly took water, with no possibility of salvage. Fortunately, the crew escaped and reached shore safely. Word of the loss took nearly a week to reach shipping authorities (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).

Sources & References

  • Great Lakes Shipwreck Files (“R” listing) – details loss due to storm, grounding on reef, total loss, no lives lost (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary historical note – mentions W.H. Rounds among schooners lost to storms on northern Lake Huron reefs (NOAA Sanctuaries)
  • Midwest Marine Historical Archives – includes registry and sinking date (Tonawanda-built, 1875)

Historical Significance & Context

  • The W.H. Rounds operated during the tail end of the century-long peak for wooden sail-powered bulk freighters on the Great Lakes.
  • Her loss underscores the ongoing threat reefs posed to bulk cargo vessels in stormy seasons.
  • The fact that the crew survived reflects the common presence of nearby coastal stations and relatively short rowing distance to land.

Wreck Site & Dive Potential

  • Location: Approx. 2 miles off Harrisville, Michigan on a reef (~15–20 ft deep) (wisconsinshipwrecks.org, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • Accessibility: Possibly accessible to snorkelers or shallow-water divers; wreckage likely broken but still near the surface.
  • Hazard Status: Not currently charted on Notices to Mariners; no modern dive or sonar surveys have confirmed vessel location.

Conclusion

The W.H. Rounds serves as a poignant example of late-era wooden bulk schooners and their vulnerability to spring storms and reef collisions in Lake Huron. Her sinking—so near land and without loss of life—offers both a historical narrative and a potential shallow-water dive site, pending verification.

Keywords & Categories

  • Region: Lake Huron, off Harrisville, MI
  • Vessel Type: Wooden coal schooner
  • Cause of Loss: Storm, grounding
  • Cargo: Coal
  • Casualties: None
  • Dive Status: Potential snorkel-level wreck (~15–20 ft)
  • Year of Loss: 1905
w-h-rounds-us-21300 1905-05-02 10:40:00