AH-WR-0264

Northwest

Schooner · United States · Lost 1898 · The Straits of Mackinac

A large schooner-turned-tow-barge sunk by submerged ice while being towed through the Straits of Mackinac in 1898.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1873 as the schooner Alexander Moore and later renamed Northwest, she was converted to a tow-barge in her later years. In April 1898, while under tow by the propeller Aurora with a cargo of corn, she struck submerged ice and sank west of the future Mackinac Bridge site. Her crew was rescued without loss of life.

Vessel

Built: 1873
Builder: T. Boston
Yard: Bangor (West Bay City), Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 223 ft
Beam: 38 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail, later towed
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: April 6, 1898
Cause: Ice
Location: Western Straits of Mackinac, about six miles from Mackinac Bridge site
Water: Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan
Voyage: Chicago, Illinois → Buffalo, New York
Cargo: Corn
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 75 ft
Condition: Upright but broken up, with a donkey steam engine and windlass visible
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve