AH-WR-0214

William H. Barnum

Bulk Steamer · United States · Lost 1894 · The Straits of Mackinac

A wooden bulk steamer opened by spring ice at the Straits of Mackinac in 1894, now an upright preserve wreck.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1873, the William H. Barnum was a wooden bulk steamer in the Great Lakes grain and ore trades. Working through early season ice near the Straits of Mackinac in April 1894, she began leaking badly and sank. Her upright hull lies within a Michigan underwater preserve and is a well-known dive.

Vessel

Built: 1873
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: April 3, 1894
Cause: Ice
Location: South of the Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Corn
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 60 to 75 feet
Condition: Hull upright and substantially intact on a silt bottom.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within a Michigan underwater preserve.

Position

Coordinates: 45.75° N 84.75° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Mackinaw City, Michigan
Region: The Straits of Mackinac

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

Casualty figures are not stated in the sources reviewed.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources underwater preserves
Wreck location, depth, condition, protection.
Great Lakes maritime histories
Construction and circumstances of the loss.