City of Alpena
Tug · United States · Lost 1880 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A small wooden harbor tug that burned to the waterline in 1880, its inverted hull now a shallow snorkel-friendly wreck.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
City of Alpena was a wooden steam tug built in 1874 and used for towing along northeastern Michigan's Lake Huron shore. On August 9, 1880, she caught fire offshore near Alcona and burned to the waterline; her crew escaped safely. Salvors later recovered her engine and boiler. The wreck now lies upside down in very shallow water, its propeller and hull strakes exposed.
Vessel
- 1874
- US official no. 125519
- Charles Ward
- New Jerusalem, Ohio
- Wood
- 71.5 ft
- 17 ft
- 76
- Steam, single screw
- George L. Colwell
Loss
- August 9, 1880
- Fire
- About half a mile offshore, two miles north of Alcona, Michigan
- Lake Huron
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 9 ft
- Lies upside down; keel intact, propeller and shaft visible
- Inverted
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 44.788° N 83.294° W
- Surveyed position
- Alcona, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Dimensions, loss narrative, depth
