Appomattox
Bulk Steamer · United States · Lost 1905 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan
One of the largest wooden steamers ever built on the lakes, run ashore in smoke off Milwaukee in 1905.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1896, the Appomattox was among the largest wooden bulk steamers on the Great Lakes, carrying coal and iron ore with a barge in tow. In November 1905 she ran ashore near Milwaukee in dense smoke drifting over the lake and could not be recovered. Her lower hull lies in shallow water and is a listed historic site.
Vessel
- 1896
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- 319 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam
- Not established
Loss
- November 2, 1905
- Grounding
- Off Atwater, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lake Michigan
- Lake Michigan
- Not established
- Coal
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 10 to 20 feet
- Lower hull structure in shallow water on a sand bottom.
- Not established
- Not established
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Position
- 43.09° N 87.87° W
- Approximate position
- Shorewood, Wisconsin
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Casualty figures are not stated in the sources reviewed; no loss of life is recorded.
Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Shipwrecks
Construction, dimensions, loss, wreck condition.
National Register of Historic Places nomination
Significance and protection.
