AH-WR-1919

Meridian

Schooner · Lost Late October 1873; broken up and abandoned within weeks after failed mid-November salvage. · Door County & Lake Michigan

A Black River-built schooner bound light for Oconto was driven onto the Sister Island shoal by a freak 1873 snowstorm.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

William Jones built the two-masted schooner Meridian at Black River, Ohio, in 1848 for the Winslow fleet of Cleveland. In late October 1873, running light toward Oconto, she was caught by a freak fall storm of northerly winds, snow and icing and driven onto the Sister Island shoal. At least three salvage attempts in mid-November failed, and within two weeks owner A.M. Crawford had her broken up and abandoned.

Vessel

Built: 1848
Registry: US registry no. 16408
Builder: William Jones
Yard: Black River, Ohio
Material: Wood
Length: 120.35 ft
Beam: 23 ft
Tonnage: 184.84 gross tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: Late October 1873; broken up and abandoned within weeks after failed mid-November salvage.
Cause: Storm
Location: Sister Island shoal, Green Bay, Door County, Wisconsin
Water: Green Bay
Voyage: Oconto, Wisconsin
Cargo: None (light)
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established