Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Witch
- Type: Wooden screw tug
- Year Built: 1904
- Builder: J. Urie, Bay City, Michigan
- Dimensions: 60 ft × 18 ft × 7 ft
- Registered Tonnage: 44 gross / 17 net tons
- Location: Off the outer range light at the mouth of the Saginaw River, Lake Huron
- Official Number: 200646
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A small wooden screw tugboat, used primarily for harbor and river towing operations around the Saginaw River and Bay.
Description
Powered by a compact steam engine, the Witch featured a robust wooden hull suited for towing barges and working in shallow-draft areas. Its design was directly based on the earlier tug Witch of the West, including reusing that vessel’s machinery.
History
- 1904: Constructed in Bay City, MI, using the Witch of the West as a model and inheriting its engine.
- 12 September 1929: While near the mouth of the Saginaw River, the Witch caught fire and burned completely to the waterline. She was declared a total loss.
Significant Incidents
- 12 September 1929: The Witch suffered a catastrophic fire, resulting in total loss.
Final Disposition
The Witch suffered a catastrophic fire and was destroyed, with no further service. The wreck was recorded as a total loss and not salvaged.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No recorded recovery or wreck rediscovery. The remains likely lie where she burned close to the river entrance, but no survey has charted the wreck.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”witch-us-200646″ title=”References & Links”]
The Witch represents an evolution from its 1856 predecessor, Witch of the West, continuing a lineage of Bay City–built wooden tugs. Her destruction by fire in 1929 concluded a 25-year service in Great Lakes and river towing. Today, she is remembered only in shipwreck registers and historical ship logs.
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
- Name: Witch
- Official Number: 200646
- Year Built: 1904
- Build Location: Bay City, Michigan (by J. Urie)
- Type: Wooden screw tug
- Hull Dimensions: 60 ft × 18 ft × 7 ft
- Tonnage: 44 gross / 17 net tons
- Final Location: Off the outer range light at the mouth of the Saginaw River, Lake Huron
- Loss Date: 12 September 1929
- Cause: Burned to a total loss
- Fatalities: None reported
- Current Status: Destroyed beyond repair; documented as a total loss (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, Wikipedia).
Vessel Type
A small wooden screw tugboat, used primarily for harbor and river towing operations around the Saginaw River and Bay.
Description
Powered by a compact steam engine, the Witch featured a robust wooden hull suited for towing barges and working in shallow-draft areas. Its design was directly based on the earlier tug Witch of the West, including reusing that vessel’s machinery (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
History & Chronology
- 1904: Constructed in Bay City, MI, using the Witch of the West as a model and inheriting its engine.
- 12 September 1929: While near the mouth of the Saginaw River, the Witch caught fire and burned completely to the waterline. She was declared a total loss (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
Final Disposition
The Witch suffered a catastrophic fire and was destroyed, with no further service. The wreck was recorded as a total loss and not salvaged.
Located By & Date Found
No recorded recovery or wreck rediscovery. The remains likely lie where she burned close to the river entrance, but no survey has charted the wreck.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted. The site does not present a charted navigation hazard, given its location near river entry.
Resources & Links
- Great Lakes Shipwreck Files – Detailed log noting build, reuse of machinery from Witch of the West, and the fire loss in 1929 (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
Conclusion
The Witch represents an evolution from its 1856 predecessor, Witch of the West, continuing a lineage of Bay City–built wooden tugs. Her destruction by fire in 1929 concluded a 25-year service in Great Lakes and river towing. Today, she is remembered only in shipwreck registers and historical ship logs.
Keywords & Categories
- Wooden screw tugboat
- Saginaw River maritime history
- 1929 fire loss
- Steam launch
- Bay City tug lineage
- Reused marine machinery