AH-WR-0492

Charles P. Minch

Schooner · United States · Lost 1898 · Georgian Bay & the North Channel

A three-masted lumber schooner trapped by a shifting gale and wrecked on the rocks of Tecumseh Cove near Tobermory in 1898.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1867 at Vermilion, Ohio, for Cleveland owner Philip Minch, Charles P. Minch carried lumber on the Great Lakes for three decades. On October 27, 1898, she was riding out a gale at anchor east of Cove Island when the wind shifted, trapping her in Tecumseh Cove; she was driven onto the rocks and broke apart with a full load of timber bound for Chicago. Her scattered wreckage remains in shallow water within Fathom Five National Marine Park.

Vessel

Built: 1867
Builder: Isaac W. Nicholas
Yard: Vermilion, Ohio
Material: Wood
Length: 154.6 ft
Beam: 28.2 ft
Tonnage: 408
Propulsion: Sail, three masts
Owners: Philip Minch, Cleveland, Ohio

Loss

Date: October 27, 1898
Cause: Storm
Location: Tecumseh Cove, east of Cove Island, Georgian Bay
Water: Lake Huron (Georgian Bay)
Voyage: Chicago, Illinois
Cargo: Timber
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 6-16
Condition: Broken apart and scattered across the cove floor; hull section with centreboard box is legible.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Fathom Five National Marine Park

Position

Coordinates: 45.29° N 81.71° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Cove Island, Tobermory, Georgian Bay
Region: Georgian Bay & the North Channel

Dive-site atlas Wannadive gives a specific GPS fix (45°17.672'N 81°42.671'W) for the schooner's wreckage in Tecumseh Cove east of Cove Island; this is a hobbyist/dive-community source.