Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: William Grandy
- Type: Brigantine
- Year Built: 1867
- Builder: Ira Lafrinier
- Dimensions: 165.5 ft (50.4 m) X 32 ft (9.8 m); Depth: 11.8 ft (3.6 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 464.97 gross tons, 441 net tons
- Location: Euclid Beach near Cleveland, Ohio
- Official Number: 26838
- Original Owners: N.C. Winslow, Buffalo, New York; L.P. & J.A. Smith, Cleveland
- Number of Masts: 3
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The William Grandy was a wooden-hulled, three-masted brigantine, wire-rigged for durability, with significant sail area to handle bulk cargo runs across the lakes. Its capacity of 30,000 bushels made it a typical large-grain carrier of the era, designed for fast transit and large loads on Great Lakes routes.
Description
The William Grandy had an active career across multiple lakes, supporting bulk trade:
- 1868: Registered in Buffalo, NY.
- 1871, November: Lost its centreboard in the Straits of Mackinac.
- 1874, April: Damaged in a Lake Huron squall.
- 1874, October: Aground on Racine Reef, Lake Michigan; refloated.
- 1876: Owned by Cardinell, Buffalo.
- 1879: Repaired; ownership to Dennington et al., Cleveland, OH.
- 1880: Lumber trade routes between Chicago and Menekaunee, Wisconsin.
- 1881: Underwent a major rebuild.
- 1898: Towed by the City of New York for trade.
- 1906, August 28: Driven ashore by a gale near Euclid Beach, Lake Erie, while under the ownership of L.P. & J.A. Smith, Cleveland. Despite initial hopes of salvage, she caught fire and was destroyed on September 10, 1906.
History
Total loss — stranded, burned, and abandoned.
Significant Incidents
NOTMARs & Advisories
No current Notices to Mariners (NOTMARs) associated with the wreck.
Located By & Date
No modern survey or archaeological investigation documented; presumed completely lost due to fire and wave action.
Final Disposition
No visible remains reported; site presumed dispersed by wave action and fire damage.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The William Grandy illustrates the typical challenges of late 19th-century Great Lakes sailing, surviving groundings, collisions, and storms before meeting its end in 1906. As a wire-rigged brigantine of significant size, it was well-adapted to bulk cargo but still no match for the combined threat of storms and fire that sealed its fate.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”william-grandy-us-26838″ title=”References & Links”]
Keywords
William Grandy, brigantine, Lake Erie, shipwreck, grain carrier, Great Lakes maritime history
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.
WILLIAM GRANDY (1867, Brigantine)
Identification & Site Information
- Name: William Grandy
- Year Built: 1867
- Official Number: 26838
- Type: Brigantine (wire-rigged, carried approximately 4,000 square feet of canvas)
- Hull Material: Wood
- Number of Decks: 1
- Builder: Ira Lafrinier
- Built at: Cleveland, Ohio
- Original Owner: N.C. Winslow, Buffalo, New York
- Number of Masts: 3
- Length: 165.5 ft (50.4 m)
- Beam: 32 ft (9.8 m)
- Depth: 11.8 ft (3.6 m)
- Tonnage: 464.97 gross tons, 441 net tons
- Cargo Capacity: 30,000 bushels
- Final Location: Euclid Beach near Cleveland, Ohio, Lake Erie
- Date Lost: August 28, 1906
- How Lost: Driven ashore during a gale, stranded, then destroyed by fire on September 10 while still aground
Vessel Type Description
The William Grandy was a wooden-hulled, three-masted brigantine, wire-rigged for durability, with significant sail area to handle bulk cargo runs across the lakes. Its capacity of 30,000 bushels made it a typical large-grain carrier of the era, designed for fast transit and large loads on Great Lakes routes.
History
The William Grandy had an active career across multiple lakes, supporting bulk trade:
- 1868: Registered in Buffalo, NY.
- 1871, November: Lost its centreboard in the Straits of Mackinac.
- 1874, April: Damaged in a Lake Huron squall.
- 1874, October: Aground on Racine Reef, Lake Michigan; refloated.
- 1876: Owned by Cardinell, Buffalo.
- 1879: Repaired; ownership to Dennington et al., Cleveland, OH.
- 1880: Lumber trade routes between Chicago and Menekaunee, Wisconsin.
- 1881: Underwent a major rebuild.
- 1898: Towed by the City of New York for trade.
- 1906, August 28: Driven ashore by a gale near Euclid Beach, Lake Erie, while under the ownership of L.P. & J.A. Smith, Cleveland. Despite initial hopes of salvage, she caught fire and was destroyed on September 10, 1906.
Final Disposition
Total loss — stranded, burned, and abandoned.
NOTMARs & Advisories
No current Notices to Mariners (NOTMARs) associated with the wreck.
Located By & Date
No modern survey or archaeological investigation documented; presumed completely lost due to fire and wave action.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No visible remains reported; site presumed dispersed by wave action and fire damage.
Resources & Links
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Great Lakes Ships Database
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Bowling Green State University Historical Collections of the Great Lakes
- Chronicling America Historical Newspapers
- news.google.com/newspapers
Conclusion
The William Grandy illustrates the typical challenges of late 19th-century Great Lakes sailing, surviving groundings, collisions, and storms before meeting its end in 1906. As a wire-rigged brigantine of significant size, it was well-adapted to bulk cargo but still no match for the combined threat of storms and fire that sealed its fate.
Keywords
William Grandy, brigantine, Lake Erie, shipwreck, grain carrier, Great Lakes maritime history