(built 1877; wrecked 23 December 1885)

Identification & Site Information

• Name: Mary Martini (no prior names recorded)
• Official Registry Number: 90978 (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
• Built: 1877 at West Bay City, Michigan by F. Wheeler; Hull number 1 (Wikipedia)
• Specifications: 85 ft × 19 ft × 6 ft; 91 gross register tons (76 net) (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
• Lake: Superior (operated between Marquette and Duluth)

Vessel Type

• Propeller-driven wooden Steamer configured for passenger and package-freight service (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Final Voyage & Incident

• Date of Loss: 23 December 1885 — a clear, calm winter day (greatlakesdrive.com)
• Location of Loss: Stranded on Brule Point, about 13 miles east of Grand Marais, Minnesota, along the Lake Superior North Shore (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
• Cause of Loss: Navigational error — the vessel went aground in fair weather and could not be re-floated (greatlakesdrive.com)
• Outcome: Became a total wreck; passengers and crew were evacuated safely by the Duluth Tug T. H. Camp (greatlakesdrive.com)
• Documents were surrendered at Duluth on 30 December 1885, marking registry closure (greatlakesdrive.com)

Casualties

• No loss of life recorded. All aboard evacuated successfully (greatlakesdrive.com)

Located By & Wreck Condition

• No known underwater survey, dive site report, or rediscovery. The wreck would lie aground near Brule Point, likely heavily damaged or disintegrated by ice and wave action through winter exposures.

Notices & Advisories

• No official Notices to Mariners or hazard bulletins remain known. Incident is primarily recorded in regional shipwreck registries and secondarily in Boatnerd.com/Great Lakes Drive records (Wikipedia, greatlakesdrive.com)

Resources & Archival References

• Great Lakes Drive entry (“Mary Martini – Passenger & Package Freight 1877–1885”): detailed incident summary of navigational error, crew rescue, and registry surrender (greatlakesdrive.com)
• GL Shipwreck Files WordPress (“M – Great Lakes Shipwreck Files”): listed build specs and date/location of loss (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
• Lake Superior shipwreck records noting loss off North Shore locations (e.g. Richter, Isle Royale, Liberty also listed similarly) (GitLab)

Summary Table

Research Gaps & Suggested Avenues

Some details remain undocumented in secondary sources:

• Master and crew names, and passenger identities
• Ownership and shipping company records
• Local newspaper accounts: Duluth-era or North Shore journals (e.g., Grand Marais Pilot, Duluth News Tribune) from December 1885 may include eyewitness testimony or technical narratives
• Insurance or Lloyd’s claims for vessel valued at ~US$X ($ operational)
• HCGL / Bowling Green registration archives for master identity or vessel enrollment details

Archival follow-up could include searching the Duluth and Marquette maritime logs, period newspapers, or port records held by local historical societies or maritime museums.

Conclusion

The Mary Martini was a modest 85-ft propeller-driven passenger and package freight Steamer built in 1877. On 23 December 1885, while navigating Lake Superior’s North Shore in calm conditions, she grounded due to navigational error near Brule Point and was declared a Total Loss. There were no fatalities; passengers and crew were rescued by the Tug T. H. Camp, and the vessel’s enrollment was formally surrendered in Duluth.

Her loss illustrates the perils of late-season winter navigation on Lake Superior—even in calm weather conditions—and the North Shore’s navigational hazards. The wreck remains undocumented today.

Let me know if you’d like help locating crew lists, newspaper archive retrieval, or technical registry files for deeper archival insight.