AH-WR-0500

F.W. Wheeler

Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1893 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

A wooden bulk freighter, laden with coal from Buffalo, stranded and wrecked off Michigan City in a December 1893 storm; all sixteen aboard were saved.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1887 at West Bay City, Michigan, F.W. Wheeler carried bulk cargo, primarily coal, on the Great Lakes. On December 3, 1893, while carrying 2,100 tons of coal from Buffalo to Chicago, she was caught in a winter storm and stranded near Michigan City, Indiana. The local life-saving crew rescued all sixteen sailors aboard in two trips, though the vessel was a total loss.

Vessel

Built: 1887
Builder: Not established
Yard: West Bay City, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 265.5 ft
Beam: 40.5 ft
Tonnage: 2300
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: December 3, 1893
Cause: Storm
Location: Near Michigan City, Indiana
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Buffalo, New York → Chicago, Illinois
Cargo: 2,100 tons of coal
Aboard: 16
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 15 ft
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 41.746° N 86.866° W
Accuracy: Surveyed position
Nearest: Michigan City, Indiana
Region: Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

3DShipwrecks.org publishes surveyed GPS coordinates (41°44.756'N 086°51.946'W) for the F.W. Wheeler wreck site off Michigan City, Indiana, consistent with the Indiana DNR's account of its loss location.