AH-WR-1816

Big Z

Schooner · United States · Lost Winter casualty reported in the Racine Journal in February 1859; exact casualty date not established. · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

Rebuilt in 1848, the schooner Big Z later leaked at anchor south of Sheboygan and broke apart ashore in winter.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Big Z was built by Z. Wright at Lexington, Michigan, in 1844. It was rebuilt at Irving, New York, in 1848, lengthening the wooden two-masted schooner from about 88 to 112 feet. Bound from Racine to Amsterdam to collect staves, it sprang a leak while anchored about five miles south of Sheboygan, filled and drifted ashore, where heavy seas broke it apart. An account cited from the Racine Journal in February 1859 recorded no lives lost; three men sailed a yawl to Racine while owner Captain Dole remained for salvage.

Vessel

Built: 1844
Builder: Z. Wright
Yard: Lexington, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 112.16 ft
Beam: 20 ft
Tonnage: 168.67
Propulsion: Sail; two-masted schooner
Owners: Captain Dole (owner at loss)

Loss

Date: Winter casualty reported in the Racine Journal in February 1859; exact casualty date not established.
Cause: Not established
Location: About five miles south of Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Racine, Wisconsin → Amsterdam, Wisconsin
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established