John L. Shaw
Schooner · United States · Lost 1894 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A 217-foot schooner lost in a snowstorm while under tow in 1894, forgotten for over a century until a fisherman found her nets snagged on the wreck.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
John L. Shaw was a large three-masted schooner built in 1885 at West Bay City, Michigan. On November 13, 1894, while under tow across Lake Huron with a load of coal, a snowstorm parted her tow line and she foundered off Harrisville. Her crew survived hours adrift before rescue. The wreck was forgotten until 2007, when a local fisherman discovered the site.
Vessel
- 1885
- US official no. 76601
- James Davidson
- West Bay City, Michigan
- Wood
- 217 ft
- 39 ft
- 928
- Sail (under tow at time of loss)
- Charles A. Eddy
Loss
- November 13, 1894
- Storm
- Off Harrisville, Michigan
- Lake Huron
- Chicago
- Coal
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 128 ft
- Hull largely intact; starboard side collapsed and lying flat
- Upright
- 2007
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 44.617° N 83.133° W
- Surveyed position
- Harrisville, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Dimensions, loss narrative, discovery, depth
