Identification & Site Information
- Name: Grayling
- Former Names: None recorded
- Official Number / Registry: 85444
- Year Built: 1876
- Builder: Carroll Brothers, Buffalo, New York
- Vessel Type: Steam Tug / fish Tug
- Hull Material: Wood
- Dimensions:
- Length: 54 ft (16.46 m)
- Beam: 13.5 ft (4.11 m)
- Depth of Hold: 5 ft (1.52 m)
- Gross Tonnage: 17.25 tons
- Propulsion: Steam screw
- Number of Masts: 0
- Home Port: Frankfort, Michigan (original)
- Owners: Charles M. Anderson (primary documented owner)
Location of Loss:
- Body of Water: Lake Michigan (off Milwaukee)
- County: Milwaukee, WI
- Nearest City: Milwaukee, WI
- Coordinates: Unknown exact sinking coordinates – scuttled offshore in September 1936
- Depth: Unconfirmed; likely 20–50 ft range for shallow scuttling
Service History
The wooden steam fish Tug Grayling served for 60 years across Lake Michigan, primarily supporting commercial fishing operations:
- 1876: Built by Carroll Brothers, Buffalo, NY
- Late 19th Century: Operated out of Frankfort, MI, performing fishing and light harbor duties
- Registry: U.S. 85444
- Early 20th Century: Likely worked along the Michigan and Wisconsin shorelines, used as a fish Tug and harbor service vessel
By the 1930s, she was considered obsolete, with aging wooden construction and a small steam engine unsuited for modernization.
Final Voyage & Disposition
The final disposition of Grayling took place in stages:
- c. 1935: Abandoned in the Sheboygan River near Sheboygan, WI
- May 1936:
- Towed to Milwaukee and sunk temporarily near the Holton Street Bridge in the Milwaukee River
- 20 September 1936:
- Officially scuttled in Lake Michigan by the U.S. Coast Guard, offshore Milwaukee
- Reason: Vessel abandonment and hazard removal under harbor clearance operations
- Casualties: 0
The exact offshore scuttling site has not been archaeologically verified, and no diver documentation exists in public archives.
Located By & Wreck Condition
- Current Status: Unlocated
- Coordinates: Approximate offshore Milwaukee; requires side‑scan sonar search
- Condition:
- Wooden tugs of this era usually collapse rapidly after scuttling
- Possible engine, boiler, and iron fastenings may survive in debris field
Research Notes
- Primary archival leads:
- Potential for discovery:
- Likely in nearshore Lake Michigan along historic disposal lanes
- May require magnetometer and shallow side‑scan sonar survey
Resources & References
- Wisconsin Historical Society – Great Lakes Shipwrecks
- HCGL / BGSU Vessel Index – O.N. 85444
- U.S. Customs Vessel Enrollment (Frankfort, MI)
- NOAA Historic Charts – Milwaukee and Sheboygan Harbors
- Milwaukee Journal & Sentinel Archives (1935–1936)
Historical Significance
The Grayling represents the long-lived era of small wooden fish tugs on the Great Lakes. These compact steam vessels were the workhorses of the commercial fishing industry, often serving 50–60 years before scuttling.
Her three-stage abandonment—first in Sheboygan, then Milwaukee River, and finally Lake Michigan—reflects the common practice of phased disposal, where old tugs were repurposed as dockside storage, sunk as fill, and finally scuttled offshore to clear urban waterways.