Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Wm. Gardner, Jr.
• Type: Wooden screw tug engaged in towing coal barges
• Year Built: 1872
• Dimensions:
• Location: At a port/harbour (specific town not recorded)

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A small wooden-powered tugboat used to move coal barges—a vital component of fuel logistics for towns and railways during the late 19th century.

Description

Single-propeller wood-hulled tug, likely one deck, rigged with a small pilothouse. Rigged simply for harbour and nearshore towing, with robust steam machinery typical of its class.

History

• 1872: Constructed and launched, purpose-built for industrial barge towing
• 10 May 1883: While towing two laden coal barges, the Wm. Gardner, Jr. caught fire (source does not specify origin). The blaze burned the vessel down to the waterline; the hull was rendered unsalvageable.
• Great Lakes Shipwreck Files note: “She caught fire while engaged in her usual coal-barge towing, burned to the waterline—8 PM G” (suggesting loss at 8 PM in harbour)

Significant Incidents

• 10 May 1883: Caught fire while towing coal barges, resulting in total loss.

Final Disposition

Declared a total loss. The burning destroyed the vessel’s superstructure and machinery, and no remains were operationally salvaged.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No records exist to confirm whether hull remains were salvaged, removed, or left in place. No documented underwater site or wreck survey.

Resources & Links

References are being reviewed for this wreck.

The Wm. Gardner, Jr. was a workaday steam tug whose role in coal distribution was essential to the industrial economy. Her abrupt loss by fire in 1883—while performing routine towing—highlights the vulnerability of wooden steam vessels, particularly around heat sources and fuel cargoes. Though no remains endure, the incident is a classic example of maritime risk in Great Lakes harbours.