Niagara
Schooner Barge · United States · Lost 1887 · Whitefish Point & Eastern Lake Superior
An overloaded ore schooner barge that broke her tow in a gale, capsized, and drowned all nine of her crew after their lifeboat also went over.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Niagara was a 205-foot wooden schooner built in 1873, later used as a barge towed behind steamers on ore runs. On September 7, 1887, her tow line to the steamer Australasia parted in a severe gale on Lake Superior; overloaded and beam-on to the seas, she capsized. All nine crew got into a lifeboat, which itself then capsized, and none survived. The wreck was located in 1972 and lies within the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.
Vessel
- 1873
- US official number 18787
- Not established
- Barcelona, New York
- Wood
- 205 ft
- 34 ft
- 764
- Sail, towed as a barge
- Not established
Loss
- September 7, 1887
- Storm
- Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior
- Lake Superior
- Not established
- Iron ore, reportedly loaded well beyond her rated capacity
- 9
- 9
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 100 ft
- Hull mostly broken and buried under her ore cargo; centerboard trunk, windlass, and standing rigging remain
- Not established
- 1972
- Within Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
Position
- 46.82° N 85.13° W
- Approximate position
- Whitefish Point, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
3DShipwrecks.org survey record for Niagara
Dimensions, tonnage, build year, loss year, and site description.
Minnesota Historical Society archived shipwreck record
Wreck condition description context (note: this MNHS page concerns a different Niagara tug wreck on Lake Superior's north shore and was used only for cross-reference, not primary facts).
