AH-WR-0761

Eber Ward

Package Freighter · United States · Lost 1909 · The Straits of Mackinac

A wooden freighter torn open by spring ice in the Straits of Mackinac in 1909, taking five of her crew down with her.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Eber Ward was carrying a load of corn through the Straits of Mackinac on her first run of the 1909 season when lingering ice tore open her bow. She sank within about ten minutes, taking five of her fourteen crew. Rediscovered in 1980, her intact hull and machinery now make her one of the most popular advanced dives in the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve.

Vessel

Built: 1888
Registry: US Official No. 136001
Builder: F.W. Wheeler & Co.
Yard: Bay City, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 213 ft
Beam: 37 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, fore-and-aft double expansion, single screw
Owners: Detroit and Lake Superior Line

Loss

Date: April 20, 1909
Cause: Ice
Location: Straits of Mackinac, about 5 miles west of the present Mackinac Bridge site
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Milwaukee, Wisconsin → Port Huron, Michigan
Cargo: 55,000 bushels of corn
Aboard: 14
Lives lost: 5
Master: Capt. Tim LeMay

The Wreck Today

Depth: 110-145
Condition: Upright and intact, cabins missing but engine and machinery in place
Orientation: Upright, facing south
Discovered: 1980
Protection: Within Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve