AH-WR-1586

Fred Nielson

Steam Tug · United States · Lost July 1894 · Door County & Lake Michigan

Her dismantled hull was towed out of Sturgeon Bay Canal into Lake Michigan.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Fred Nielson was built in 1868. She was built as Messenger and renamed Fred Nielson in 1882. Her dismantled hull was towed out of Sturgeon Bay Canal into Lake Michigan. She was scuttled there in July 1894.

Vessel

Built: 1868
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: July 1894
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Lake Michigan outside Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Lake Michigan outside Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, Wisconsin
Region: Door County & Lake Michigan

No verified wreck coordinates used; historical loss locality only.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)

An exact wreck position, present depth and final-loss casualty total are not established here.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks: Fred Nielson
Vessel identity, construction history, service, historical loss locality and loss circumstances.