John J. Audubon
Brig · United States · Lost 1854 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A brig carrying iron railroad track, sunk within minutes after Defiance struck her in fog on Lake Huron in 1854.
Jill Stephenson
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
John J. Audubon was a brig sailing north toward Chicago with a cargo of iron railroad track when, in the fog before dawn on October 21, 1854, the southbound schooner Defiance struck her amidships. Audubon sank quickly from the damage, while Defiance foundered a few miles away; remarkably, all hands on both vessels survived. Audubon now rests intact in about 170 feet of water in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- October 21, 1854
- Collision
- Off Presque Isle, Lake Huron
- Lake Huron
- Chicago, Illinois
- Iron railroad track
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 170 ft
- Intact
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 45.289° N 83.339° W
- Surveyed position
- Presque Isle, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (75/100)
Build year, builder, and dimensions are not established in the sources reviewed.
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Collision account, cargo, casualty outcome, and depth.
