Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Yantic IX-32

Explore the history of the Yantic, a screw bark warship with a storied past, now buried beneath modern infrastructure in Detroit.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Yantic
  • Type: Screw Bark Warship, Nipsic-class
  • Year Built: 1864
  • Builder: Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Dimensions: 180 ft (54.9 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) x 12 ft (3.7 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: 900 tons
  • Location: Foot of Townsend Street, Detroit River, Detroit, Michigan
  • Coordinates: 42.3455° N, 82.9714° W
  • Official Number: None (U.S. Navy vessel)
  • Original Owners: United States Navy, Michigan Naval Militia
  • Number of Masts: Three-masted bark-rigged

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Three-masted bark-rigged wooden gunboat with auxiliary steam power, later re-rigged for freshwater use as a naval training ship.

Description

The Yantic was originally constructed as a gunboat during the American Civil War. Though initially intended to serve as President Abraham Lincoln’s yacht, the need for warships during the conflict saw her converted and launched as a naval gunboat. She was rigged as a three-masted bark with a steam engine, a common configuration for transition-era naval vessels. Her 180-foot length and robust construction made her suitable for extended service both on oceanic assignments and, later, on the Great Lakes.

History

Commissioned on August 12, 1864, the Yantic was named for the Yantic River in Connecticut. She served actively during the closing months of the American Civil War and continued in fleet operations until 1897. That year, she was removed from active naval service and transferred to the State of Michigan for use as a training vessel for the naval militia. She was stationed in Detroit, and later Hancock, Michigan, after undergoing rigging and mechanical modifications suited for inland lake service.

Throughout the early 20th century, Yantic was involved in training and ceremonial duties. She participated in the 1913 centennial of the Battle of Lake Erie and was berthed at various points across the lakes, including Milwaukee, Chicago, and Cleveland. Recalled to navy service during World War I, she was later assigned to the Ohio Naval Reserve. After the war, she returned to state control and continued service until decommissioning in 1926.

Significant Incidents

  • October 22, 1929: While moored at her dock during an autumn gale, Yantic‘s deteriorating wooden hull gave way, and she sank in only five minutes.
  • May 1930: A fire, likely deliberate, further destroyed the partially submerged hulk.

Final Disposition

Deliberately burned and dismantled in 1930 after sinking the previous year, the remnants of Yantic were buried in place beneath infrastructure near Belle Isle, Detroit. No known wreckage remains visible.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The site of the Yantic is now integrated into the Belle Isle Bridge foundation. There are no visible remnants of the vessel at the site.

Resources & Links

References are being reviewed for this wreck.

The Yantic had a storied life spanning wartime action, naval training, and ceremonial functions over more than six decades. Her final years were characterized by deterioration and obscurity, culminating in her quiet burial beneath modern Detroit infrastructure. As one of the last wooden-hulled naval ships to serve actively on the Great Lakes, she remains a unique and compelling part of U.S. and Canadian maritime heritage.