AH-WR-1754

Northerner

Schooner · Lost 1868 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

Northerner capsized off Port Ulao under tow in 1868; her hold still contains cordwood.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Northerner was a wooden two-masted schooner built by John Oades at Clayton, New York, and later rebuilt at Wells Island in 1859. The institutional source lists 1851 as her build year but describes a March 1850 launch, an unresolved discrepancy. After pounding on the bottom while loading cordwood at Amsterdam pier, she leaked badly and discharged her deck load at Port Washington. Under tow by Cuyahoga toward Milwaukee on November 29, 1868, she filled and capsized off Port Ulao; Cuyahoga rescued the crew. Wisconsin Shipwrecks describes the wreck upright in 140 feet of water, with cordwood still in the hold.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Registry: US registry no. 18176
Builder: John Oades
Yard: Clayton, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 81.13 ft
Beam: 18.6 ft
Tonnage: 77.33 gross tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Final owners: Anders Ryerson and Nicholas Ronk

Loss

Date: November 29, 1868
Cause: Mechanical failure
Location: Off Port Ulao, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Port Washington, Wisconsin → Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cargo: Cordwood remaining in the hold; deck load removed at Port Washington
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 140 ft
Condition: Upright and reasonably intact; main mast stands, stern mast recovered for a museum; cordwood remains in the hold.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Position

Coordinates: 43.32° N 87.81° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Port Washington, Wisconsin
Region: Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

Published Wisconsin Shipwrecks inventory position N 43°19.00′, W 087°48.64′; not independently surveyed here.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)

Institutional inventory documents remains and depth; the reported position is not independently surveyed here, and the construction-year discrepancy remains unresolved.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks
Builder, registry, dimensions, two-masted wooden schooner form, 1859 rebuild, conflicting 1850 launch/1851 build year, dated final tow/capsize and crew rescue; institutional present condition, 140-foot depth, National Register listing and published inventory coordinates.