(wooden propeller excursion Steamer – Official No. 23514)

Identification & Site Information

  • Names: Sailor Boy
  • Official number: 23514 (Facebook, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • Built: 1868 in Cleveland by Ira Lafrinier (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • Dimensions: Not reported in easily accessible sources – likely typical small excursion Steamer (~20 m, ~65 ft)
  • Loss: Caught fire and burned at Stringer’s Sawmill dock, ~100 yd east of Wright’s Point, Hancock, MI on May 12, 1923 (other dates sometimes shown as 1921, 1924, but 1923 is corroborated) (Facebook)
  • Location of wreck: Lies off Osceola Point, in 10–20 ft (3–6 m) of water (baillod.com)

Vessel Type

Single-screw wooden excursion Steamer (passenger & package freight), small harbor Steamer.

Description

A wooden-hulled, propeller-driven passenger Steamer, utilized for excursions and light freight. Upper works burned away; Hull remains intact underwater with machinery, propeller, and steering gear preserved (baillod.com).

History

  • Construction & Operation
    • Built 1868 in Cleveland, OH. Served over five decades on Great Lakes waterways under various owners.
  • Ownership & Operation
    • Likely operated in Keweenaw Waterway and Hancock area—specific ownership records not currently located; typical for local excursion steamers.
  • Incident
    • On May 12, 1923, Sailor Boy caught fire at the Stringer’s Sawmill dock in Hancock. Mooring lines burned through, and she drifted and sank ~30 ft from shore (mininggazette.com, Facebook).
    • Fire circumstances were described as “under very suspicious circumstances” (mininggazette.com).
    • No records of casualties or crew losses have been found; as an excursion vessel it may have been unmanned or lightly crewed at time of fire.

Final Disposition

  • After burning, Sailor Boy sank in shallow water next to the dock. No formal salvage noted; Hull left submerged. Likely declared a Total Loss.
  • No legal or insurance documentation located; absence may reflect small operation scale.

Discoveries & Site Status

  • The wreck is well-known to divers; documented by Brendon Baillod (Baillod.com) and Michigan Tech/NOAA initiatives (baillod.com).
  • Hull remains upright, with intact machinery, propeller, and steering components. Depth 10–20 ft makes it a popular shallow dive site (baillod.com).

Notices & Advisories

  • No explicit Notices to Mariners found; local advisories likely issued at time of sinking.
  • Recreational divers are advised to use dive flags due to heavy canal traffic (baillod.com).

Resources & Links

  • HCGL/Great Lakes Shipwreck Files (WordPress): site details & image (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
  • Baillod.com: current site condition, dive report (baillod.com)
  • The Mining Gazette article: “Keweenaw Waterway shipwreck finally identified” includes fire details & sinking (mininggazette.com)

Shore Dive Information

  • Access: Launch from Hancock harbor, enter east of Osceola Point.
  • Depth: 3–6 m (10–20 ft).
  • Visibility: Variable depending on season.
  • Hazards: Heavy boat traffic—dive flag essential. Wooden structure may entangle lines.
  • Emergency:
    • US side: Dial 911 (local City of Hancock first responders)
    • Nearest medical: Portage Health Emergency, Hancock, MI
  • Permits & Regulations: No permit needed for public waterways; however, site is historically significant—avoid artifact removal.
  • Local dive resources:
    • Hancock Diving Outfitters (est. – verify current)
    • Calumet Divers Supply, Calumet, MI

Conclusion

Sailor Boy is a historically rich, shallow-water wreck with intact machinery and vessel structure. Its survival since 1923 offers valuable insights into small excursion Steamer design, late 19th-century wooden shipbuilding, and early 20th-century industrial accidents. The suspicious fire adds intrigue requiring more archival research—e.g., insurance records, sawmill correspondence, local newspapers (The Mining Gazette, Hancock Evening Journal). Underwater archaeology on site could document surviving artifacts and construction features.

Recommended Next Steps for Research

  • Search Mining Gazette and Hancock Evening Journal archives (1921–24) for fire investigation, insurance, crew logs.
  • Consult Great Lakes Vessel List (BGSU) and NOAA archive PDFs for registration, specifications, crew lists.
  • Investigate local sawmill records (Stringer’s Sawmill) and county property files.
  • Conduct dendro-analysis on Hull timbers to verify original 1868 build materials.

Keywords / Categories

Region: Keweenaw Waterway, Lake Superior;
Type: Wooden excursion/Packet Steamer;
Cause: Fire aboard & sinking;
Loss date: 12 May 1923;
Dive: shallow (<6 m), intact machinery, moderate difficulty;
Hazards: boat traffic, wood entanglement.