Dean Richmond
Package Freight Steamer · United States · Lost 1893 · The Lake Erie Islands
A package freighter vanished with nearly all hands in an 1893 gale and was one of Lake Erie's most sought-after wrecks for a century.
Kathryn DiVittorio
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Dean Richmond was a wooden propeller freighter built in 1864 and long used to carry package freight on the Great Lakes. On October 14, 1893, she left Toledo for Buffalo with flour, zinc, and general cargo and was overtaken by a severe gale off northeastern Pennsylvania. She foundered with the loss of all but one of her crew. Her wreck, inverted in about 95 feet of water, was finally found in 1984.
Vessel
- 1864
- US registry no. 6102
- Quayle & Martin
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Wood
- 238.8 ft
- 34.95 ft
- 1083
- Steam, single screw
- J. E. Botsford, Port Huron, Michigan (at loss)
Loss
- October 14, 1893
- Storm
- Lake Erie, about six miles off Northeast, Pennsylvania
- Lake Erie
- Toledo, Ohio → Buffalo, New York
- Bagged flour, meal, and zinc ingots
- 18
- 17
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 95 ft
- Lying inverted on the lake bottom
- Inverted
- 1984
- Not established
Position
- 42.31° N 79.93° W
- Approximate position
- Northeast, Pennsylvania
Diving groups have published slightly differing GPS positions for the site.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (82/100)
Loss circumstances and rediscovery.
Regional Science Consortium, Lake Erie Shipwrecks
Depth, coordinates, cargo, and casualty details.
Great Lakes Vessel History Project
Build and enrollment history.
