Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

MILWAUKEE MARINE AND SHIPPING
SHIPWRECKS AND DISASTERS

The following ships were listed in various sources, newspapers 
and publications as having a Milwaukee connection.
This list includes information collected by David D. Swayze, Lake Isabella, MI

BADGER

Size: 50t Owner: Byron Kilbourn

BADGER

Specs: 30x8x4, 9gt 6nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: James Gordon, Ashtabula OH purchased the boat 1910-1915, abandoned March 31, 1915

BADGER STATE

Type at Loss: bark, wood, 3-mast
Built: 1853 James M. Jones, Milwaukee
Specs: 150x28x12, 302t
Enrollment: Offnum
Official No.: 2134
Owner Williams and Wheeler
Date of Loss: Nov. 16, 1870
Place of Loss: off Sleeping Bear Point
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: 240 cords wood
Details: Bound Grand Traverse Bay for Chicago, she stranded and wrecked on the tip of Sleeping Bear dune. Built on a salt-water model. Rebuilt and strengthened in 1862 Homeport: Chicago

BALTIC

Specs: 120t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss: January 28, 1905
Place of Loss: Port Stanley Lake Lost: check
Type/Cause: stranded "wrecked"
Lives Lost: unknown
Cargo: unknown

Oswego Advertiser & Times, Sat., Dec. 7, 1867

Schooner Baltic. - The schooner Baltic, Capt. James Burns, of Chicago, from Milwaukee, with 15,500 bushels of wheat, consigned to Major Merrick sunk in the harbor last night. The Baltic lost her canvas in the terrific gale, and in trying to make the harbor, struck on the East pier, and pounded along there for some time. Her crew succeeded in jumping of on the pier, and the vessel finally drifted around opposite the island, where she filled and sunk. She is broken in two amidship and both vessel and cargo will prove a total loss.

The cargo was insured, but for what amount is not known. We understand there was no insurance on the vessel, which was owned by Capt. Burns. The crew state that they never before spent such a night on the lakes, and expected momentarily to go down.

The cook of the Baltic had a small child with her, and seeing that the vessel must go ashore, climbed up some 15 or 20 feet, into the rigging, and when the schooner struck the shore, she threw the child to one of the sailors who had already jumped off, by whom it was safely caught. The woman herself then jumped for the pier, and missed, and fell into the water. The waves washed her aboatd the vessel, and when she again struck, the cook made another attempt to gain the pier, and was successful. The men were thoroughly drenched and benumbed, and spent the night by the fire in the police office.

BALTIC:
See Vance Bio

B.B. JONES

Type at Loss: propeller steam tug, wood
Built: 1864, B.B. Jones, Milwaukee
Specs: 274t 171nt
Enrollment: Offnum
Official No.: 2158
Date of Loss: May 25, 1871
Place of Loss: at Port Huron, MI
Lake Lost: Huron
Type/Cause: explosion
Lives Lost: 7 of 12
Cargo: none
Details: Her boiler exploded at her dock. The crew were at dinner on the deck just over the boiler when it went off, and most of the dead were never found. A 100-pound piece of her boiler went through a building 400 yds away. She was recovered by tug RESCUE in June, but not worth rebuilding. Hull finally towed out and abandoned at the head of Stag Island. Owned by Trowbridge & Wilcox of Detroit. Had just been rebuilt the previous winter. She was reportedly fastened with trenails [wooden pegs] when built.

BARNEY EATON

Specs: 166t (also 104t)
Enrollment: Milwaukee (also built Chicago)
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

BARBER GEORGE

Specs: 157t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

BEN FROEMMING

Specs: 324x50x26,3805gt 2123nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Launched as TAPIR SPLICE, name changed RIO GUAYAS (1947-1966) Colombia, GALVESTON LUMBERMAN (1966-1967) Panama, GOLDRILL 5 (1967) Panama,

BETTY-D

Specs: 36x11x6; 14gt 10nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: owned Elizabeth Valkenburg, Chicago 1947-1955, John F. Panzo Chicago, 1955

BLUE BELL

Type at Loss: Scow-schooner, wood, 2-mast
Built: 1867, Edwards, Milwaukee
Specs: 84x25x7, 122g 116n
Enrollment: unknown
Official No.: 2235
Date of Loss: Sept. 6, 1887
Place of Loss: off the Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, harbor entrance
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: lumber
Details: Bound Wilt's Bay, Michigan, for Milwaukee, she missed the harbor entrance while attempting to dock, and was driven ashore, where she broke up. Her crew made it to the beach, with the aid of the local USLS crew. Total loss of about $5000. Remains removed by dredging operations in 1894.

Sale of Marine Vessels
Detroit Free Press, December 21, 1866
Schooner Blue Bell, by Milwaukee parties, purchaser unknown, $3,200.

BOLIVARG

Size: 70t Owner: Byron Kilbourn

BONESTEEL

Specs:
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

BOSTON

Official No: none
Type of Ship: sidewheel steamer, wood, passenger/package freight
Place of Loss: in the bay at Milwaukee
Type/Cause: storm
Cargo: ?
More details: Newly built ship owned by the Michigan Insurance Co. of Detroit. An attempt was made to raise her the following spring. The Boston, while discharging at the pier in Milwaukee, on the 24th of November, 1846, was compelled, through the violence of a northwest gale, to put out into the lake, but, after proceeding a short distance, her smoke pipes were blown down and, becoming unmanageable, she backed on the beach about a mile south of the piers, and became a total wreck. Detroit Free Press, 18 Apr 1858

Date Built: 1846
Builder: John Robison
Where Built: Detroit
Size: 205x30x13, 757t

BRILLIANT

Type at Loss: schooner, wood, Lumber
Built: 1856, J.M. Jones, Milwaukee
Specs: 100x27x8, 182 t
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Official No.: None
Owner: J.M. Jones
Date of Loss: Dec. 5, 1857
Place of Loss: 7 miles S of Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: light
Details: Bound Chicago for Sheboygan for a cargo of lumber, she went on a reef close to shore and sank. May have been recovered

BUCKEYE STATE

Official No: none
Type of Ship: bark, wood, 3-mast
Place of Loss: Milwaukee
Type/Cause: storm
Cargo: ?
More details: Less than three months old at the time of her loss.
Date Built: 1852
Builder: Amos Hubbard
Where Built: Black R., Ohio
Size: 132x25x10, 310 t. [om]

BUSINESS

Specs: 191x35x18; 986gt 773nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Abandoned June 24, 1912

BUENA VISTA

Official No: 2241
Type of Ship: schooner, wood, two mast
Place of Loss: Near either Milwaukee or Manistee
Type/Cause: "lost"
Cargo: ?
More details: Homeport in 1869: Milwaukee. Rebuilt in 1873-4.
Date Built: 1847
Builder:
Where Built: Chicago
Size: 121x21x8, 174 gt

B.W. ALDRICH

Type at Loss: propeller steam tug, wood, salvage
Built: 1868, Allen, McLellan & Co., Milwaukee
Specs: 65x15x7 49g 25n
Enrollment: Offnum
Official No.: 2701
Date of Loss: Dec 1899
Place of Loss: unreported
Lake Lost: St. Clair R.
Type/Cause: sunk
Lives Lost: ?
Cargo: none
Details: Reid salvage tug reported sunk (in a single report). Recovered and later sold Canadian. Also burned near Ludington in 1871, and had at least 3 sepaprate fires at Muskegon in 1870. Sold Canadian in 1903. Registry closed 1915, annotated "abandoned"