AH-WR-1737

L.B. Shepard

Schooner · United States · Lost Capsized October 14, 1898; later reported stripped on the beach · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

L.B. Shepard capsized off Two Rivers in October 1898 and drifted ashore near Manitowoc; her crew escaped.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

L.B. Shepard was built at Buffalo in 1855 as a wooden, two-masted schooner. After earlier leaks and groundings followed by repairs, she was carrying lumber and lath on Lake Michigan in October 1898. Caught in a gale, she became waterlogged and capsized off Two Rivers early on October 14. Her seven crew escaped in a yawl and reached Manitowoc. The vessel drifted toward Manitowoc and was later reported on the beach south of the piers, stripped with part of her cargo recovered.

Vessel

Built: 1855
Registry: US registry no. 14676
Builder: Not established
Yard: Buffalo, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 114.7 ft
Beam: 25.7 ft
Tonnage: 214.52 gross tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: Capsized October 14, 1898; later reported stripped on the beach
Cause: Storm
Location: Off Two Rivers; subsequently on the beach south of Manitowoc harbor piers, Wisconsin
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Lumber and lath
Aboard: 7
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: 44.08° N 87.65° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Region: Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

Position converted from the institutional inventory’s published degrees and decimal minutes; survey accuracy is not independently established.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

Exact position, present depth and surviving condition are not established in the reviewed sources.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks
1855 construction, two-masted rig, dimensions and registry number; October 14 capsize, seven escaping crew, subsequent drift/beaching and stripping; spelling/direction conflicts and published inventory position.