WHITNEY, GRACE

Year Built: 1866, Gibraltar, Michigan
Official Number: 10239
Vessel Type: Two‑masted wooden Schooner
Builder: R. Calkins
Original Owner: D. Whitney, Jr.
Dimensions: 142 ft long × 26 ft beam × 11.5 ft depth
Tonnage: 289 gross
Cargo Capacity: ~20,000 bushels

Chronology & Operational History

  • Late 1866: Towed to Oswego, NY for rigging.
  • 1867: Operated on Ogdensburg–Toledo run.
  • 1868–1871: Owned from Detroit by D. Whitney Jr.
  • 1875: Underwent repairs.
  • 1879: Documented as a Barge under tow.
  • 1880–1890: Frequently towed by tugs—including Glasgow, Alpena, D. W. Powers, S. C. Baldwin—carrying lumber, coal, and ore.
  • 1882: Significant Rebuild.
  • 1903: Stranded near Fort Gratiot, MI; refloated.
  • 30 July 1910: While under tow of Maine (with Uranus and F. M. Knapp), rammed by steel bulker Ogdensburg near Bar Point, Lake Erie; struck carrying coal from Sandusky to Port Huron. Sank with two crew fatalities; rescue carried out by Tug Knuckle Brothers.

Final Disposition

Site & Dive Notes

  • Grace Whitney lies in approximately 30 feet (~9 meters) of water near Bar Point (Central Michigan Digital News)
  • Shallow depth suggests good access for technical shore dives, but collision damage could produce hazards.
  • No modern survey or dive logs located; side-scan sonar may confirm current site conditions.

Research Recommendations

  1. Contemporary Reports & Newspapers (August 1910):
    • Isabella County Enterprise, Macomb Monitor, and Detroit Free Press may provide incident narratives and names of victims or crew.
  2. Tug Logs & Tow Documentation:
    • Records from tugs Maine, Knuckle Brothers, and Barge Uranus could yield operational and wreck detail.
  3. Insurance & Salvage Records:
    • Board of Lake Underwriters reports may include claims for coal loss, wreck surveys, or salvage contracts.
  4. Diving or Survey Records:
    • Dive associations along Lake Erie or Monroe County maritime committees may hold unpublished logs or images.

Sources

  • Digital newspaper reports (Isabella County Enterprise, Macomb Monitor): documented sinking location in ~30 ft water, 3 miles from Bar Point (Central Michigan Digital News, lake.cros.net, alcheminc.com)
  • Wikipedia’s “List of shipwrecks in 1910”: confirms the date and location near Bar Point (Wikipedia)
  • Alchem Inc. shipwreck index: notes the tow context, collision with Ogdensburg, two fatalities, and sinking details (alcheminc.com)

Summary

The Grace Whitney—also recorded as WHITNEY, GRACE—was a large wooden Schooner constructed in 1866. She sank off Bar Point, Lake Erie, on 30 July 1910 after being rammed by steel bulker Ogdensburg while under tow in coalition with other barges. The accident resulted in two crew deaths. The wreck lies in shallow water (~30 ft depth), offering strong potential for dive documentation and archaeological survey.

If you’d like assistance obtaining relevant newspaper articles, underwriters’ files, Tug operational logs, or coordinating a dive survey, I’d be glad to help.