AH-WR-1530

R.J. Hackett

Wooden Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1905 · Door County & Lake Michigan

The first purpose-built Great Lakes bulk freighter, the model for every laker after her.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

R.J. Hackett was built at Cleveland in 1869 with her pilothouse at the bow and engine at the stern, leaving one long open hold. That layout became the pattern for Great Lakes bulk freighters for the next century. On 12 November 1905 she caught fire in Green Bay and burned near Whaleback Shoal. Her crew escaped.

Vessel

Built: 1869
Builder: Not established
Yard: Cleveland, Ohio
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: November 12, 1905
Cause: Fire
Location: Whaleback Shoal, Green Bay
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Cedar River, Michigan
Region: Door County & Lake Michigan

Pin marks the named place of loss; no published position used.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

Dimensions are not given in this record.

Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Shipwrecks
Loss date, place and circumstances.
Maritime History of the Great Lakes
Loss date, place and circumstances.