Defiance
Schooner · United States · Lost 1854 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A wooden schooner that collided with another sailing vessel in dense fog on Lake Huron and now rests upright, masts still standing, 185 feet down.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Defiance was a small wooden schooner built in 1848 to haul grain on the Great Lakes. On October 21, 1854, during a foggy, deadly season for lake shipping, she collided with the northbound brig John J. Audubon in the dark. Audubon sank almost immediately; Defiance struggled on before foundering a few miles away. Remarkably, all hands on both vessels survived. The wreck, still largely intact with a mast upright, has drawn study from noted ocean explorers.
Vessel
- 1848
- Captain Roby
- Perrysburg, Ohio
- Wood
- 115 ft
- 26 ft
- 253
- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- October 21, 1854
- Collision
- Off Presque Isle, Lake Huron
- Lake Huron
- Buffalo, New York
- Corn and wheat
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 185 ft
- Upright and well preserved, masts still standing
- Upright
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 45.234° N 83.278° W
- Surveyed position
- Presque Isle, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Build details, loss date, collision cause, depth, and archaeological documentation.
