AH-WR-1996

Nucleus

Barquentine · Lost 1869 · Whitefish Point & Eastern Lake Superior

The 'bad luck' barquentine Nucleus sank in a Lake Superior storm in 1869 after sinking twice before; her crew were ignored by one steamer before a schooner saved them.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 144-foot barquentine Nucleus had already sunk twice, and in 1854 she rammed and sank the sidewheeler Detroit on Lake Huron. On September 14, 1869, downbound from Marquette with iron ore, she began leaking badly in a Lake Superior storm, and her crew took to the yawl before she went down. Hours later they hailed the steamer Union, whose officers reportedly saw them and kept going. The schooner Worthington soon rescued them. Her wreck was found in 600 feet of water off Vermilion Point.

Vessel

Built: 1848
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: September 14, 1869
Cause: Storm
Location: About 40 miles northwest of Vermilion Point, in some 600 feet of water
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Marquette, Michigan
Cargo: Iron ore
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established