W. R. Hanna
Scow Schooner · United States · Lost 1886 · The Lake Erie Islands
A stone-carrying scow schooner was wrecked in a gale off Kelleys Island, her hull still buried under her limestone cargo.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
W. R. Hanna was a small wooden scow schooner built in 1857 to carry Kelleys Island limestone across Lake Erie. On October 14, 1886, a gale-force storm drove the loaded vessel ashore north of the island and broke her apart. No lives were lost, and the wreck was uninsured and abandoned. Her remains, still bearing much of the limestone cargo, now form a shallow, registered archaeological site.
Vessel
- 1857
- William R. Hanna
- Sandusky, Ohio
- Wood
- 86.2 ft
- 22.33 ft
- 103
- Sail, two masts
- L. J. Seek, Toledo, Ohio
Loss
- October 14, 1886
- Storm
- Lake Erie, north of Kelleys Island, Ohio
- Lake Erie
- Kelleys Island, Ohio → Detroit, Michigan
- Medium dimension limestone blocks
- Not established
- 0
- Frank Provonsha
The Wreck Today
- 3-8
- Structure largely obscured by its stone cargo
- Not established
- Not established
- Ohio Archaeological Site No. 33ER488
Position
- 41.651° N 82.684° W
- Surveyed position
- Kelleys Island, Ohio
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
Ohio Sea Grant, Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of Lake Erie
Vessel dimensions, ownership, cargo, and loss narrative.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey
Site survey and archaeological designation.
