AH-WR-0485

Midnight

Schooner-Barge · United States · Lost 1889 · Saginaw Bay & the Michigan Thumb

A schooner-barge driven ashore with the Mears near Au Sable Point in a fierce 1889 snowstorm, remembered for the Life-Saving Service rescue that followed.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

The schooner-barge Midnight was under tow by the steamer Wilhelm, along with the barge Mears, bound for Ottawa Bay when a violent snowstorm struck Saginaw Bay on November 27, 1889. Both barges drove ashore near Au Sable Point (then called Fishing Point). The U.S. Life-Saving Service rescued the crews. Wreckage from the two vessels remains scattered along the shore south of Au Sable Point.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail (towed)
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: November 27, 1889
Cause: Storm
Location: Near Au Sable Point (then Fishing Point), Saginaw Bay
Water: Lake Huron
Voyage: Ottawa Bay (now Tawas Bay), Michigan
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Broken and scattered; remains lie near the wreck of the Mears and the two are difficult to distinguish.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 44.33° N 83.34° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Au Sable Point, Oscoda, Michigan
Region: Saginaw Bay & the Michigan Thumb

General area only: coordinate of Au Sable Point from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place near the loss location recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.