Vessel Identification & Profile

  • Name: William Crosthwaite
  • Official Number: 26217
  • Year Built: 1866
  • Builder: Crosthwaite
  • Build Location: West Bay City, Michigan
  • Vessel Type: Schooner
  • Hull Material: Wood
  • Decks: 1
  • Masts: 3
  • Original Owner: J. Kelderhouse, Buffalo, New York

Dimensions

  • Length: 150 ft
  • Beam: 30.2 ft
  • Depth: 11.8 ft
  • Tonnage: 371.81 gross tons / 353 net tons

Ownership & Service History

  • 1866: Enrolled at Detroit, MI
  • 1867: Owned by Charles Bradley, Chicago, IL
  • 1876–1879: Owned by A.J. McGraw and then Lincoln, both of Chicago
  • 1883–1885: Operated in bulk freight trade (coal, grain, lumber) on Lake Erie and Lake Superior, frequently towed by other steamers
  • 1887–1906: Ownership passed to Charles Eastman (1887) and then Shannon & Carey, Saginaw, MI (1906)

Incident Chronology

  • 1867, Oct: Leaked and beached near Milwaukee, WI
  • 1869, Jun: Damaged in collision with Schooner Queen of the North, Lake Erie
  • 1871, Dec: Icebound in Saginaw area, Lake Huron
  • 1888, Apr 30: Sunk at Sailors’ Encampment, St. Mary’s River; later raised
  • 1896, Sep 13: Sunk in collision with City of Mackinac; raised and repaired in Detroit

Final Disposition

  • Date of Loss: September 6, 1906
  • Location: Near Kelly’s Island, Lake Erie
  • Cause: Collision with her towing Steamer Homer Warren while bound for Alpena with a cargo of stone
  • Documents Surrendered: March 29, 1907, at Port Huron, MI

Final Cargo & Conditions

  • Cargo: Stone
  • Casualties: Not documented
  • Condition: Total Loss; presumed unrecovered

Historical Significance
The William Crosthwaite was a durable three-masted Schooner operating extensively across the Great Lakes for four decades. Her history includes repeated sinkings, collisions, and salvages. She exemplifies the lifespan and repeated rehabilitation of wooden lake schooners into the early 20th century. Her final wreck was the result of a collision with her own towing Steamer, a not-uncommon fate for towed vessels of the era.

Sources & Collections

  • C. Patrick Labadie Collection
  • Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory
  • Donald V. Baut
  • Burton Collection
  • Edward J. Dowling Collection, University of Detroit Mercy
  • William MacDonald Collection, Dossin Great Lakes Museum
  • Peter J. VanderLinden

Keywords and Categories

  • Region: Lake Erie, Kelly’s Island
  • Vessel Type: Schooner
  • Cause of Loss: Collision with tow Steamer
  • Material: Wood
  • Operational Period: 1866–1906
  • Status: Presumed destroyed or unrecovered