Here is the structured shipwreck report for the W.H. Davey (1856), formatted in Shotline Diving style and queued for addition to the Master Index under Lake Erie:

WRECK SUMMARY

  • Type: Schooner
  • Length: Not specified
  • Loss of Life: None
  • Location: Lake Erie
  • GPS: Not recorded
  • Depth: Unknown

IDENTIFICATION & SITE INFORMATION

  • Vessel Name: W.H. Davey
  • Type: Wooden Schooner
  • Built: 1856
  • Flag/Registry: United States
  • Date of Loss: September 8, 1860
  • Final Resting Place: Lake Erie (exact coordinates not documented)
  • Cargo at Time of Loss: Coal
  • Casualties: None (entire crew survived after clinging to the rigging for 17 hours)

VESSEL TYPE DESCRIPTION

The W.H. Davey was a traditional wooden-hulled Great Lakes Schooner, used primarily for hauling bulk cargo—such as coal—between lake ports. Like many schooners of her era, she was vulnerable to leaks and storm damage, particularly when heavily laden and under sail in foul weather.

HISTORY

On September 8, 1860, while navigating Lake Erie during a storm, the W.H. Davey sprang a leak and eventually sank. Her crew, stranded amid the gale, survived by clinging to the rigging for 17 hours before being rescued.

The event was likely traumatic but emblematic of the dangerous work involved in mid-19th-century Great Lakes commerce. No deaths were reported, but the vessel was declared a Total Loss.

FINAL DISPOSITION

Sank in Lake Erie due to storm-induced Hull failure. Final position unknown; not a documented dive site.

REFERENCES & LINKS