AH-WR-0815

Samuel P. Ely

Schooner · United States · Lost 1896 · The Minnesota North Shore

A three-masted iron-ore schooner driven onto the Two Harbors breakwater when her towline was cut in a storm, now one of the best-preserved wooden wrecks on the North Shore.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Samuel P. Ely was a three-masted wooden schooner built in 1869, later used to haul iron ore under tow behind steamers on Lake Superior. On October 30, 1896, while under tow by the steamer Hesper approaching Two Harbors, she was cast off in heavy seas, dragged her anchor, and struck the west breakwater of Agate Bay, sinking there. Her crew survived by climbing into the rigging. The wreck remains a popular, accessible dive due to its structural integrity.

Vessel

Built: 1869
Registry: U.S. Registry 23780
Builder: J.P. Clark Shipyard
Yard: Springwells, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 200 ft
Beam: 31 ft
Tonnage: 627.24
Propulsion: Sail, three masts (later towed as a barge)
Owners: Bradley Transportation Company (at loss)

Loss

Date: October 30, 1896
Cause: Storm
Location: West breakwater, Agate Bay, Two Harbors, Minnesota
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Duluth, Minnesota → Two Harbors, Minnesota
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Exceptional structural integrity for a 19th-century wooden schooner wreck.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1992.