Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

MILWAUKEE MARINE AND SHIPPING
SHIPWRECKS AND DISASTERS

The following ships were listed in various sources, newspapers 
and publications as having a Milwaukee connection.
This list includes information collected by David D. Swayze, Lake Isabella, MI

DAN COSTELLO

Specs: 48x12x6, 23gt 20nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Rebuilt at Milwaukee in 1889; Abandoned in 1914

DAN HAYES

Official No: 35041
Type of Ship: schooner-barge [scow], wood
Place of Loss: 12 mi out of Milwaukee
Type/Cause: sank
Cargo: bark
More details: No detail. Later dismantled in place. Built as
a three-mast scow-schooner. Rebuilt, 1882
Date Built: 1868
Builder: R. Hayes, Fairport
Where Built: Fairport, OH
Size: 112x24x7 146g 139n

DAN NEWHALL

Specs: 130t
Enrollment: Milwaukee, also Chicago
Owner: D. Newhall
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

DAWN

Type at Loss: scow-schooner wood
Built: 1888, T. Eggers, Milwaukee
Specs: 60x14x4 26g 25n
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Official No.: 157211
Date of Loss: September 18, 1903
Place of Loss: Kewaunee, Wisconsin
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: ?
Details: Struck Kewaunee's south pier, drifted ashore and wrecked. Her crew as rescued by the Lifesaving Service.

DENVER

Specs: 222x37x19, 1295gt 1028nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: converted to barge 1907, sold canadian, renamed Canadian MCMARTIN 1912-1938, Abandoned Canadian Shipping Rosters in 1938

DETROIT

Type at Loss: schooner, wood
Built: 1837, Milwaukee
Specs: 67t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss: Nov. 17-18, 1842
Place of Loss: off Gravelly Bay, Ont.
Lake Lost: Erie
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: 6 (all)
Cargo: unknown
Details: Went Missing in a heavy gale. Her loss was not reported in the papers until the following April. Out of Cleveland. Wrecked off Kenosha in 1837.

DETROIT steamship Sept 1867
collided with OTTAWA, at Milwaukee, both injured Detroit Free Press, December 20, 1867

DETROIT:
See Trowell Bio

DEWITT CLINTON

Other names : none
Official no. : none
Type at loss : sidewheel steamer, wood, passenger & package freight
Build info : 1836, Fairbanks Church, Huron, OH
Specs : 147x27x11, 413 t.
Date of loss : 1851
Place of loss : Near Dunkirk, NY
Lake : Erie
Type of loss : "lost"
Loss of life : ?
Carrying : ?
Detail : Sources say she was either sunk or stranded and wrecked a total loss. Foundered off Milwaukee Oct 11, 1839 with loss of 5 lives. Recovered the following year. (?) One source says this was the vessel’s yawl, not the vessel herself. She and her near-twin ROBERT FULTON were reputedly the first lakes steamers built primarily as freighters, with relatively few passenger accommodations.

DICK DAVIS

Specs: 10t
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

DICK DAVIS tug Aug 1873
collided with IDA H. LEE near Milwaukee Detroit Free Press, 9 Dec, 1873

DICK SOMERS

Type at Loss: schooner, wood
Built: 1863, Wolf & Lawrence, Milwaukee
Specs: 138x26x13 332 t (also reported as 432t in 1864)
Enrollment: Milwaukee, also Chicago
Official No.: 6136
Date of Loss: Nov. 1877 (a few days before Nov. 25)
Place of Loss: on Poverty Island
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: iron ore (650 tons worth $3,000)
Details: Driven ashore and reported by her skipper as a total loss. She had been upbound for Chicago or St. Joseph from Escanaba. Owned by Weinert & Meyers of Chicago. Most of her cargo was salvaged by Church & Hill of Chicago in the fall of 1878.

D.O. DICKENSON

Type at Loss: schooner, wood, 2-mast
Built: 1854, J.M. Jones, Milwaukee
Specs: 127x26x11 241t (also reported as 333t)
Enrollment: Milwaukee, also Chicago
Official No.: 6133
Owner: D. Newhall
Date of Loss: Oct. 8, 1869
Place of Loss: Green Bay Strawberry Shoal, near Chambers Island
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: sunk/lost
Lives Lost: unknown
Cargo: unknown
Details: Rebuilt in 1862

D.O. DICKENSON:
See O'Driscoll Bio

DODRIDGE

Specs: 324x50x26,3805gt 2123nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: COSTAL MESSENGER (1945-1953), COURIER (USCG) 1953, In 1947 operated by Standard Fruit & Steamship Co., NY. In 1953 transferred to USCG to serve as Voice of America Transmitter ship.. In the 1960s made training voyages on Great Lakes

DOLPHIN

Type at Loss: schooner, wood
Built: 1862, Alen & McClelland, Milwaukee
Specs: 119 ft 233 nt
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Official No.: 6205
Date of Loss: July 6, 1869
Place of Loss: near Waugoschance Point, Michigan
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm/collision
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: coal
Details: Collided with the bark BADGER STATE and sank in the narrow channel west of the point. BADGER STATE rescued her crew. She may have been recovered. Homeport: Racine

Specs: 322t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss: yr 1869 & 1870
Place of Loss: Straits of Mackinac
Milwaukee
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: Collided and sunk
Capsized
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Recovered in 1869 but unknown if recovered in 1870

Specs: 45t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss: yr 1841 & yr 1843
Place of Loss: Death's Door
New Orleans Louisiana
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Recovered in 1841 and sold ot out of lakes interest

Specs: 75t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss: yr 1842
Place of Loss: on Lake Erie
Lake Lost: Erie
Type/Cause: sunk
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Recovered

See also Allan bio in Marriage section

DREDGE

Size: 130t Owner United States

DREDGE #906

Official No: none
Type of Ship: steek dredge barge, nonself-propelled
Place of Loss: 6 mi SE of Milwaukee
Type/Cause: sank
Cargo: ?
More details: The tug attempted to save her crew, but was able to find only 13, of which three died before reaching the hospital. Owned by FitzSimons and Connell Dredge & Dock Co., Chicago. She had been engaged in dredging the harbor at Oak Creek, Wis, about 10 miles
Date Built: 1912
Builder:
Where Built: Manitowoc Wis.
Size: 110x40xas tonnage unknonw

DRIVER

Type at loss: schooner (barge), wood, bulk freight
Built: 1856, J.M. Jones, Milwaukee
Specs: 103x26x8 137g 130n 174t
Enrollment: Milwaukee, also Chicago, Sault Ste. Marie, Detroit
Official No.: 6201
Owner: John Thorsen
Date of Loss: Aug 30 1901
Place of Loss: off S. Manitou Isl.
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: hardwood
Details: Waterlogged and capsized in a squall off Frankfort, MI. Drifted ashore near Point Betsie (off Empire, MI). Her crew abandoned her in yawl, and their whereabouts were unknown until Sep 4, when they showed up in Chicago. Rescued crew of steamer H.C. AKELEY(qv) in 1883. Out of Benton Harbor. Waterlogged and considered a total loss on Lake Michigan with the loss of one life in October, 1865. Major repairs in 1877 and 1883

Detroit Free Press, 17 Dec., 1872
Oct. Schr Vermont, in a storm struck Milwaukee pier, and schr Driver collided with schr Transit same time, losing jibboom.