AH-WR-1769

I.A. Johnson

Scow Schooner · United States · Lost September 1890; departed September 22 and sank after an early-morning collision · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

A lumber-trading scow schooner sank off Sheboygan in September 1890 after a collision and failed recovery tow.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

I.A. Johnson was built at Dover Bay, Ohio, in 1867 as a wooden two-masted scow schooner. She primarily carried Lake Michigan lumber and, under Freyberg ownership, brought groceries north to a Washington Island store. She left Sheboygan on the evening of September 22, 1890, carrying provisions and goods. In the early morning she collided with Lincoln Dall, which took aboard her crew. Tug Sheboygan attempted recovery, but the scow’s stern tore off and she sank immediately. Steve Radovan discovered the wreck in 2015; a 2018 survey documented its surviving hull components and cargo in 93 feet of water.

Vessel

Built: 1867
Registry: US registry no. 75556
Builder: Master Carpenter J.A. Johnson
Yard: Dover Bay, Ohio
Material: Wood
Length: 83.8 ft
Beam: 22.6 ft
Tonnage: 95.83 gross tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: C.B. Freyberg & Brothers interests (1880–1890)

Loss

Date: September 1890; departed September 22 and sank after an early-morning collision
Cause: Collision
Location: Lake Michigan off Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Sheboygan, Wisconsin → Washington Island, Wisconsin
Cargo: Provisions and goods for the Freyberg store, valued at about $600
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 93 ft
Condition: Broken but well-preserved on sandy bottom; vessel components, deck implements and cargo remain on site.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2015
Protection: National Register of Historic Places listed (institutional entry)

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Region: Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)

No numerical wreck position is provided by the reviewed institutional entry; exact final sinking day and military-service history are not established.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks
1867 builder, registry, wooden two-mast scow rig, dimensions and lumber/store service; September 22 departure, early-morning collision and rescue, final sinking when stern tore off during recovery; unknown crew total; 2015 discovery, 2016 visit, 2018 survey, depth, condition and National Register listing.