AH-WR-1832

Madeline

Passenger And Freight Steamer · United States · Lost Abandoned in 1939 or 1940 according to cited accounts; precise final disposition date unknown. Registry omission in 1941 is not a sinking date. · Apostle Islands & Western Lake Superior

A repeatedly rebuilt passenger and freight steamer ended her career abandoned near Ashland’s Soo Line ore dock.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built at Chicago in 1892 as J.F. Yattaw, the wooden screw steamer was repeatedly rebuilt for passenger and freight service. She became Ogontz in 1897, Bruce in 1919 and Madeline in 1927. In 1930 she ran between Duluth and western Lake Superior ports and the Apostle Islands. Cited accounts describe abandonment in 1939 or 1940 east of Ashland’s Soo Line ore dock, while another describes dismantling and sinking in 1940. Precise final disposition dates remain unresolved.

Vessel

Built: 1892
Registry: US registry no. 77049
Builder: Not established
Yard: Chicago, Illinois
Material: Wood
Length: 78.7 ft
Beam: 19.9 ft
Tonnage: 66.00 gross tons
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Beaver Island Transit Company; later Apostle Island Transportation Company of Bayfield

Loss

Date: Abandoned in 1939 or 1940 according to cited accounts; precise final disposition date unknown. Registry omission in 1941 is not a sinking date.
Cause: Not established
Location: Shallow water east of the Soo Line ore dock, Ashland, near Hazel
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Ashland, Wisconsin
Region: Apostle Islands & Western Lake Superior

Documented Ashland shoreline locality within regional bounds; inventory map survey accuracy not independently established and omitted.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (82/100)

Exact final disposition date, builder attribution, final rig, depth, casualties and surviving condition remain unresolved.

Wisconsin Shipwrecks — Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant
Full institutional table and service/final narrative: registry77049,1892Chicago,78.7x19.9ft wood screw steamer,original J.F.Yattaw and Ogontz/Bruce/Madeline renamings,rebuilds,1930westernSuperior service,uncertain1939/1940abandonment near Ashland dock,1940dismantling/sinking account; builder and final rig/date conflicts disclosed.