Persia
Schooner · Lost 1892 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan
Persia leaked, dragged her anchors and broke up north of Racine in 1892; the captain and two crew escaped.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Persia was a two-masted wooden schooner built at Chicago in 1855–1856 by D. Barrett. On June 2, 1892, carrying lumber, she sprang a leak and became waterlogged offshore on Lake Michigan. Dragging her anchors, she stranded eight miles north of the Racine life-saving station. Captain Sam Martin and his two crew escaped in the yawl as the schooner broke up rapidly. Remains were located by Bob Jaeck in the early 1990s.
Vessel
- Not established
- Registry no. 19672
- D. Barrett
- Chicago, Illinois
- Wood
- 95.5 ft
- 21 ft
- 96.69 gross tons (1865 remeasurement)
- Sail
- J.S. Reed, Chicago (early owner); Lieppe, Chicago (final owner)
Loss
- June 2, 1892
- Mechanical failure
- Eight miles north of the Racine U.S. Life-Saving Station, Lake Michigan
- Lake Michigan
- Not established
- Lumber consigned to Kelly, Weeks & Company
- 3
- 0
- Sam Martin
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Broke up rapidly after stranding; remains located in the early 1990s, but present condition not established.
- Not established
- Early 1990s
- Not established
Position
- 42.81° N 87.79° W
- Reported, unconfirmed
- Racine, Wisconsin
Converted from institutional listed position N 42°48.468′, W 087°47.172′. Survey provenance/uncertainty not supplied; marked reported/unconfirmed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (87/100)
Exact build year, home port, depth and present condition are not established. The reported location lacks survey provenance.
Wisconsin Shipwrecks — Wisconsin Sea Grant and Wisconsin Historical Society — Persia
Full construction details, service history, final loss sequence and casualty outcomes; published site coordinates with accuracy qualified, conflicts and unknowns disclosed.
