Great Lakes Shipwrecks

 beginning with the letter

 E

The Great Lakes Shipwreck File

©1999-2007, David D. Swayze, Lake Isabella, MI, all rights reserved

 

Click Here for Source List

 
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  E.C.L.

Other names   :  built as the brig WABASH, renamed in 1855

Official no.     :  7294

Type at loss    :  schooner, wood, 3-mast

Build info       :  1845, Doolittle & Miller, Sackett's Harbor, NY

Specs               :  249 t.

Date of loss    :  1880, Nov 24

Place of loss   :  Sister Bay, near Death's Door, WI

Lake                : Michigan

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      : none mentioned

Carrying         :  ?

Detail              : Driven ashore while anchored and wrecked, she was a total loss. She was stripped on the 27th.

Rebuilt in 1855 at Chicago as a bark and given this name after wrecking near that port in 1851

Sources            :   nsp,rsl,wl,wgts,bb


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  EAGLE

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  none

Type at loss    :  schooner, wood, 2-mast

Build info       :  1837, Black Rock, NY

Specs               :  68x18x6,  66 t.

Date of loss    :  1838, Nov 5

Place of loss   :  Elk Creek, ca. 5 miles east of Erie, PA

Lake                : Erie

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      :  none

Carrying         :  light

Detail              : This early schooner was driven ashore and pounded to pieces in a localized gale that was considered the most destructive on Lake Erie up to that point in time.

Owned by her skipper, Capt. Wm. C. Davison and his brother John, both of  Buffalo.

Sources            :  hgl,nsp,wl,wmn


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   EAGLE

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  none

Type at loss    :  schooner, wood

Build info       :  1839 Newport or 1842 Swan Creek, there were several other small EAGLES

Specs               :  29 t. or 37 t.

Date of loss    :  1848, Apr 18

Place of loss   :  20 mi NE of Sheboygan, WI [N of Amsterdam]

Lake                :  Michigan

Type of loss    :  (storm)

Loss of life      :  7 [all]

Carrying         :  lumber or chestnuts

Detail              :  Found disabled and probably capsized by the propeller PRINCETON. One crewman’s body was the only trace of the crew. Her captain's name was Jacob Lawson(d).. Vessel  may have been recovered .

Sources            :  nsp,hgl,wmn,bb

 

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   EAGLE

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  none

Type at loss    :  schooner, wood

Build info       :  1845, Sandusky

Specs               :  180 t.

Date of loss    :  1852, Nov 5

Place of loss   :   mouth of Grand River, Canada side

Lake                :  Erie

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      :  1

Carrying         :  wheat

Detail              :  She was driven ashore and wrecked. Her crew spend six hours in the rigging and suffered much from the cold before being rescued.  She had been bound for Oswego and was a total loss of $13,000. Out of Sandusky, Capt. A. Finefield, master.

Sources            :  nsp,wmn,wl

 

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  EAGLE

Other names   : none

Official no.     :  241859

Type at loss    :  gas screw fish tug

Build info       :  1941, Pentwater, Mich

Specs               :  33x10x4,  13g    9 n

Date of loss    :  1947, Apr 5

Place of loss   :  in harbor at South Haven, MI

Lake                : Michigan

Type of loss    : sank

Loss of life      : ?

Carrying         :  ?

Detail              : no detail

Out of Muskegon;  owned by Edw. Tahaney

Sources            :  h,mv,bb


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  EAGLE WING - former entry deleted. The vessel was not seriously damaged.


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  JAMES E. EAGLE

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  13668

Type at loss    :  propeller steam tug, wood

Build info       :  1859, Chas. Hindman, Algonac, MI as a passenger steamer

Specs               :  120x21x8, 137 t.

Date of loss    :  1869, Aug 8

Place of loss   :  Saginaw Bay near Bay City

Lake                : Huron

Type of loss    :  fire

Loss of life      :  none

Carrying         :  none

Detail              : She burned to a total loss at 4 am while towing a log raft. Her crew escaped in her yawl while the tug, still under weigh, steamed on until she sank. She was a total loss of about $10,000. Owned by R. Burlington of Port Huron. Master: Capt. Robert McNeff.

Sources            :   nsp,slh,lhl,hgl,mpl,mdwl


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  HATTIE EARL

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  11175

Type at loss    :  schooner or scow-schooner, wood

Build info       :  1869, Snell, South Haven

Specs               :  96x23x7  101g  96n

Date of loss    :  1893, Sep 16

Place of loss   :  just outside Michigan City, IN (also given as near Kenosha)

Lake                : Michigan

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      :  none

Carrying         :  ?

Detail              : She was driven ashore by a gale and pounded to pieces while bound Caseville, Michigan, for Chicago.

Sunk in a collision with the schooner CITY OF GREEN BAY Oct 24, 1881 at Chicago.

Driven ashore near Kenosha and wrecked in storm Apr 5, 1889. Reported broken up, but salvaged that summer.

Sources            :  h,mv,hgl,wb,mpl,wmn


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  EAST SAGINAW

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  8106

Type at loss    :  propeller, wood, bulk freight

Build info       :  1866, McDole, Marine City

Specs               :  136x26x10  235 t.

Date of loss    :  1883, Sep 24

Place of loss   :  near Sand Beach, Mich.

Lake                : Huron

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      : none

Carrying         :  barges in tow

Detail              : She was trying to make the harbor of refuge at Sand Beach and struck a reef south of the breakwater. With her steering gear all damaged, she was able to pull of the bar using a foresail, but her hull was damaged and she went down in 25 fathoms of water. Her crew was rescued by the steamer CONEMAUGH, after several others had passed without seeing them.  Master: Capt. Harry Richardson. Owner: F. W. Gilchrist, Alpena, Mich. It has been reported in some sources that she was recovered years later and was destroyed by fire in 1923, but I can find no evidence of this.

Built as a passenger & package freight propeller, rebuilt in 1879 at Vermontville, Mich.

Sunk off Harrisville, MI in April, 1875.

Major repair, 1879, Vermilion. OH .

Sources            :   slh,lhl,ns2,phr,polk,hgl,mpl   (not in 1920-21mv's)


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  EASTLAND

Other names   :  later rebuilt as U.S.S. WILMETTE

Official no.     :  200031

Type at loss    :  propeller, steel, excursion steamer

Build info       :  1903, Jenks Shipbuilding, Port Huron   hull# 25

Specs               :  265x38x20, 1961g  1218n

Date of loss    :  1915, Jul 24

Place of loss   :  Chicago River, Chicago

Lake                : Michigan

Type of loss    :  capsized

Loss of life      :  835 [812 also given often]

Carrying         :  passengers

Detail              : The passenger steamer EASTLAND capsized while pulling away from her dock for an excursion. She was heavily loaded with passengers and rolled over in her berth, trapping hundreds inside. The ship's design was the main factor - flaws included a shallow draft and high center of gravity, an inadequate ballast system and the addition of several lifeboats and their associated gear on her upper deck (done due to the post-TITANIC “Boats for All” law).  This was the worst disaster in Great Lakes history in terms of loss of life.

Recovered soon after, sold to U.S. govt and converted to naval gunboat U.S.S. WILMETTE [GX-13]. Scrapped in 1950.

Link to an excellent webpage on the EASTLAND.

Sources            :  eastl,eas,is(3-59,3-60,1-65,2&3-78),lol,lm,hcgl,etc


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  EASTNOR

Other names   :  built as CHARLES LEMCKE, renamed HENRY PEDWELL in 1913, KAGAWONG in 1931, last name in 1932

Official no.     : C126058

Type at loss    :  propeller, wood

Build info       :  1909, Lion's Head, Ont.

Specs               :  90x24,  258 t.

Date of loss    :  1933, Nov 18

Place of loss   :  at Wiarton, Ont.

Lake                : Huron

Type of loss    :  fire

Loss of life      : ?

Carrying         :  ?

Detail              : Caught fire and destroyed while loading bunker coal at Tyson's Coal Dock, Wiarton. Out of Owen Sound

Major rebuild in 1916 after a fire in Aug, '15. Rebuilt '30

Dimensions when built: 92x18 ft, 101 t.

Sources            :   mmgl,slh,h,csv,win


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   JOSHUA EATON

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  none

Type at loss    :  schooner, wood, 2-mast

Build info       :   1856, Charlotte, NY

Specs               :   small (cargoes: 3,500 bu wheat, $40 worth of coal)

Date of loss    :  1860 (Sep?)

Place of loss   :  near Goderich, Ont

Lake                :  Huron

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      :  none mentioned

Carrying         :  coal

Detail              :  She went ashore in a storm and sat on the beach with little damage until she was destroyed by a huge gale on November 24.

Owned by Burns and Fancomb, Rochester, NY. Master: Capt. John Burns.

Sources            :    nsp,wmn

 

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   EBENEZER

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  7518

Type at loss    :  schooner, wood, 2-mast

Build info       :  1863, E. Sorenson, Ft. Howard, WI

Specs               :   92x22x9,  120 gt

Date of loss    :  1880, Oct 16

Place of loss   :  Mud Bay, near Bailey’s Harbor, WI

Lake                :  Michigan

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      :  none mentioned

Carrying         : stone

Detail              :  Driven ashore by the gale known as “The Alpena Storm” due to the loss of the passenger steamer of that name. Owned out of Ephriam, Wis., hailed from Chicago.

Sources            :  bb, nsp,wgts


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  EBENEZER

Other names   :  built as WATTS SHERMAN, renamed in 1883

Official no.     :  26168

Type at loss    :  schooner-barge wood, 3-mast

Build info       :  1847, Jones, Buffalo

Specs               :  103x24x10  158g  150n

Date of loss    :  1903, Oct 14

Place of loss   :  S. Manitou Isl.

Lake                : Michigan

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      : ?

Carrying         :  ?

Detail              : Blown ashore by a storm and a total loss. One of oldest vessels on the Lakes when lost (56 yrs).

Wrecked and declared total loss at Holland, MI Oct 3, 1887.

Runge files say she was sunk on Pine Lake [Lake Charlevoix].

Rebuilt 1881, 1883

Sources            :   nsp,smi,ns1,mv,mpl,usls


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  KATIE ECCLES

Other names   :  none    also referred to as KATE ECCLES

Official no.     : C75911

Type at loss    :  schooner, wood, 2-mast

Build info       :  1877, W. Jamieson, Deseronto [Mill Pt.], Ont.

Specs               :  95x26x10, 122 gc.

Date of loss    :  1922, Nov 28

Place of loss   :  off Timber Isl.

Lake                : Ontario

Type of loss    :  storm

Loss of life      : none

Carrying         :  coal

Detail              : Bound Oswego for Napanee in heavy weather. After she lost her rudder, her skipper steered her to Timber Island by sail alone. After he and crew went ashore, her anchor chain broke and she drifted out and sank between Timber I and Nine Mile Point.

Sources            :  csqw,mmgl,is(2-90),hcgl


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  ECLIPSE - see also ADELAIDE


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  ECLIPSE

Other names   : none

Official no.     :  7495

Type at loss    :  propeller tug, wood

Build info       :  1852, F. N. Jones or Notter, Buffalo

Specs               :  94x18x9, 93 g [136 t. om]

Date of loss    :  1871, Oct 27

Place of loss   :  Lakeport, Mich

Lake                : Huron

Type of loss    :  fire

Loss of life      :  none

Carrying         :  none

Detail              : She caught fire while lying at a dock a Lakeport and was puched away from the dock with a ladder. Her captain wished her farewell by emptying his pistol into her flank [he had been in trouble a few days earlier for accidentally shooting a crewman while playing with the gun]. Master: Capt. King. Owner: J. B. Scott, Detroit.

Sources            :   wmn,mv,wl


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  ECLIPSE

Other names   :  none

Official no.     :  7495