Colonel Ellsworth
Schooner · United States · Lost 1896 · The Straits of Mackinac
A three-masted stone schooner sunk in a nighttime gale collision in the Straits of Mackinac, her crew saved by the ship that struck her.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Colonel Ellsworth was a wooden bark (or barque)-rigged schooner that spent 35 years hauling bulk cargo on the Great Lakes, including a stint beached for repair near Whitefish Point. In September 1896, loaded with alabaster stone, she collided with the schooner Emily B. Maxwell during a gale in the Straits of Mackinac and sank; her crew escaped aboard the Maxwell. The wreck was found in 1968.
Vessel
- 1861
- US 4354
- William Treat & Son
- Euclid, Ohio
- Wood
- 138.5 ft
- 26.2 ft
- 405
- Sail, three masts
- William J. Farwell, Chicago
Loss
- September 2, 1896
- Collision
- Near Waugoshance Light, Straits of Mackinac
- Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan
- Alabaster, Michigan → Chicago, Illinois
- Alabaster stone
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 70-85
- Upright, broken but with much hardware and rigging still present
- Not established
- 1968
- Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve
Position
- 45.812° N 85.018° W
- Surveyed position
- Mackinaw City, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve
Loss narrative, coordinates, wreck condition.
Great Lakes Vessel Registry (greatlakeships.org)
Build details and ownership chronology.
