AH-WR-1999

Atlanta

Schooner-Barge · Lost 1891 · Whitefish Point & Eastern Lake Superior

The schooner-barge Atlanta broke from her tow in an 1891 Lake Superior gale; her lifeboat overturned in the surf near Crisp Point and only two crewmen survived.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

The 172-foot schooner-barge Atlanta was upbound with coal in tow of the steamer Wilhelm on May 4, 1891, when a northwest gale snapped the towline. With no sails, she was at the mercy of the lake, and her crew took to the lifeboat. They rowed for hours and came within sight of the Crisp Point Life-Saving Station, but the boat overturned while landing and only two men made it to the beach. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society found her in 2021, her ornate name-board still intact.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Not established
Length: 172 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail / towed
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: May 4, 1891
Cause: Storm
Location: About 35 miles off Deer Park, in 650 feet of water
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Coal
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Only two of the crew reached the beach after the lifeboat overturned near the Crisp Point Life-Saving Station; the museum report does not give the crew total.
Master: Not established