AH-WR-1844

Ashland

Steam Tug · Lost Abandoned in the early 1930s; exact date and subsequent relocation date not established. · Apostle Islands & Western Lake Superior

Built as A.C. Van Raalte in 1867, this wooden steam tug ended her career abandoned and later towed to Red Cliff Bay.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Ashland was built by J.M. Jones at Buffalo in 1867 and formerly bore the name A.C. Van Raalte. The wooden screw tug had a long career around Red Cliff Bay and Schooner Bay. Her final owner was John Schroeder Lumber Company. Abandoned in the early 1930s, she lay briefly on the beach at Ashland before being salvaged and towed to Red Cliff Bay. The institutional account names that resting place without an exact date, depth or present condition.

Vessel

Built: 1867
Registry: US registry no. 1496
Builder: J.M. Jones
Yard: Buffalo, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 96.4 ft
Beam: 23 ft
Tonnage: 176.63 gross tons
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: Final owner: John Schroeder Lumber Company

Loss

Date: Abandoned in the early 1930s; exact date and subsequent relocation date not established.
Cause: Not established
Location: Red Cliff Bay, Wisconsin, following abandonment at Ashland and subsequent towing to Red Cliff Bay
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Institutional account places remains in Red Cliff Bay but does not establish present physical condition.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Red Cliff, Wisconsin
Region: Apostle Islands & Western Lake Superior

Documented Red Cliff Bay final locality fits existing region. Inventory coordinates not independently established as surveyed and omitted.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (84/100)

Exact abandonment and relocation dates, casualty count, surveyed position, depth and present condition are not established.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks: Ashland
Full construction, service/final narratives and gallery captions: registry 1496; J.M. Jones, Buffalo 1867; former A.C. Van Raalte; wooden screw tug 96.4 x 23 ft, 176.63 gross tons, no masts; final John Schroeder Lumber Company ownership; early-1930s abandonment, temporary beaching at Ashland, salvage and towing to Red Cliff Bay. Exact dates, casualties, depth and present condition unknown; zero counters ignored.