AH-WR-0239

Minneapolis

Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1894 · The Straits of Mackinac

A wooden lake freighter cut down by spring ice in the Straits of Mackinac in April 1894.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Minneapolis was a wooden bulk steam freighter of the Great Lakes trade. Working through the Straits of Mackinac in early April 1894, she was caught in heavy spring ice that opened her hull. The crew got clear and the steamer sank in the Straits. The wreck now lies inside Michigan's Straits of Mackinac bottomland preserve.

Vessel

Built: 1873
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: April 4, 1894
Cause: Ice
Location: In the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan
Water: Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within the Straits of Mackinac Underwater Preserve

Position

Coordinates: 45.82° N 84.71° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Mackinaw City, Michigan
Region: The Straits of Mackinac

Position given for the Straits area of the loss; the surveyed position is not published in the sources reviewed.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (58/100)

Depth, present condition and the surveyed position are not established in the sources reviewed.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Underwater Preserves
Wreck's inclusion in the Straits of Mackinac preserve.
Great Lakes maritime histories of the Straits of Mackinac
Loss date, ice damage and sinking.