AH-WR-1780

E.M. Portch

Schooner · United States · Lost 1882 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

A three-masted schooner sank near Sheboygan after an 1882 collision; a later gale broke the wreck against the piers.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

E.M. Portch was a three-masted wooden schooner built at De Pere, Wisconsin, in 1867. An 1871 grounding and sinking ended in recovery and repairs, and the vessel continued in service. On March 27, 1882, the steam barge Leland struck her while she was sailing light from Chicago to Rowley’s Bay to load cedar. Lifesavers removed the remaining crew, but the damaged schooner sank during an attempted tow near Sheboygan harbor. A later gale broke her against the piers, and months of recovery attempts failed.

Vessel

Built: 1867
Registry: US registry no. 8300
Builder: Not established
Yard: De Pere, Wisconsin
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 305.69 gross tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Original owner E.M. Portch and others; Jacob Johnson also listed by the institution, without ownership dates.

Loss

Date: March 27, 1882
Cause: Collision
Location: About 300 yards from Sheboygan harbor, Wisconsin
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Chicago, Illinois → Rowley's Bay, Wisconsin
Cargo: Light; proceeding to load cedar for S.A. Rogers
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Historically reported broken up against the Sheboygan piers after sinking; present remains are not established.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 43.75° N 87.69° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Region: Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

Institution publishes N 43°45.017′, W 087°41.687′ without a verified modern identification; retained as reported, not surveyed. Its narrative places final sinking about 300 yards from harbor in 12 feet of water; that historical depth is not asserted as present site depth.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)

The builder is ambiguously attributed, and casualty totals, present remains, modern depth, and a verified wreck position are not established.

Wisconsin Shipwrecks — Wisconsin Sea Grant and Wisconsin Historical Society
Full vessel Details page: construction, service history, final voyage, published location, and rescue or salvage narrative; website counter zeros were not treated as evidence.