AH-WR-0501

George F. Williams

Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1915 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

A West Bay City-built bulk freighter, retired and deliberately sunk near Michigan City in 1915 after a quarter-century of Great Lakes service.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 1889 at West Bay City, Michigan, George F. Williams operated as a bulk freighter carrying commercial and industrial cargo across Lake Michigan. At the end of her working life she was abandoned and sunk near Michigan City, Indiana, on April 21, 1915. Little detail on her intervening service history is documented in the sources reviewed.

Vessel

Built: 1889
Builder: Not established
Yard: West Bay City, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 280 ft
Beam: 41.4 ft
Tonnage: 1888
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: April 21, 1915
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Near Michigan City, Indiana
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
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: 41.71° N 86.90° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Michigan City, Indiana
Region: Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

General area only: coordinate of Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.