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

HANOVER

Specs: 427t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss: yr 1860
Place of Loss: Hamburg Germany
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Sold to out-of-lakes interest

HANS CROCKER

Type at Loss: bark, wood, 3-mast
Official No.: 11174
Built: 1854, James M. Jones, Milwaukee
Specs: 139x33x12, 473 t.
Enrollment: Milwaukee, also Chicago
Owner: W.B.Hibbard
Date of Loss: Nov. 29, 1879
Place of Loss: off Kenosha
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: unknown
Details: Sprang a leak while battling a gale, waterlogged and was driven ashore. Later purchased as a wreck. Her master carpenter was from an East Coast shipyard, hence she was described as having much more "ocean-going" lines than most lakers.

HANS CROCKER:
See Cole Bio

HARRY H

Specs: 40x11x4, 22gt 15nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

HATTIE

Specs: 13t
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

HATTIE TAYLOR

Type at Loss: schooner, wood
Official No.: 95356
Built: 1874, E.C. Penney, Milwaukee
Specs: 84x23x8, 85t
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Date of Loss: Aug 26 1880
Place of Loss: about 5 mi SE of Sheboygan
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: light
Details: She capsized in a squall while bound for Escanaba. Her crew escaped in her yawl. There were a number of attempts to salvage her in the years after her loss. Her hull has been found in tact and upright in 105' water off the Sheboygan shore. She parted her cables and went high on the beach under Eagle Harbor Bluffs, Lake Superior, in early December, 1876. She was recovered by the tug WELCOME the following March.

HELEN

Type at Loss: scow-schooner, wood, 2-mast
Official No.: 95651
Built: 1881, Wolf & Davidson, Milwaukee*
Specs: 90x23x7 120g 114n
Enrollment: Milwaukee, also Chicago
Date of Loss: Nov. 18 1886
Place of Loss: 3 mi N of Muskegon
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: 6
Cargo: lumber
Details: Bound Chicago for White Lake, MI, she was driven on a reef, capsized and wrecked. She was only a hundred yards from the beach, but most of her crew still perished. The dead included the captain, whom the the papers described as "a character in his way" and his wife. Out of Muskegon. *May have been built as ULSTER at an earlier date, just rebuilt in 1881, but official number is for an "H."

HELFENSTEIN

Specs: 377t (also reported as 329t and 281t)
Enrollment: Milwaukee, also Chicago
Owner: J.A. Helfenstein
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details: Rebuilt in 63

Detroit Free Press, 2 Jun, 1874

A BRIG NO LONGER. - The Brig Helfenstein, built at Milwaukee in 1847, has terminated her career under that rig and has followed the career of numberless other old craft and has been converted into a barge, to which all (if not previously wrecked) have come to. She has been one of the most remarkable vessels ever on the lakes, not only for her longevity, but from her numerous escaped from total loss. She is charged in the records during her career with upwards of forty disasters, and has been commanded by nearly double that number of skippers. Of her misfortunes, the first took place July 4, 1852, on Lake Michigan, where she became disabled, lost both anchors, struck the beach at Milwaukee, got off a few hours after and run for Chicago, got inside and sunk, involving a loss of $3,600. The same year in October she rode down a pier on Lake Michigan and was damaged. In 1856 she threw over part of a deckload of slate on Lake Michigan, lost her foreyard and collided with the propeller Omar Pasha going into Chicago. In November, 1856 lost a man overboard on Lake Michigan and her mate overboard in October, 1860. Ashore at Harrisville, Lake Huron, in August, 1866. Sunk with a cargo of ore at Marquette in June, 1871, and during her time has been twice abandoned. But very few of those who have commanded her are now living.

Detroit Free Press, December 20, 1867
Sept. Bark Red, White and Blue collided with bring Helfenstein, at Milwaukee. Former damaged in sail and outfit, latter lost headgear.

HELFENSTEIN:
See Stamford Bio

HENNEPIN

Type at Loss: propeller, wood, bulk freight
Official No.: 86016
Built: 1888, Wolf & Davidson, Milwaukee
Specs: 209x35x22 1372g 1086n
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Date of Loss: Aug. 18, 1927
Place of Loss: a few mi off South Haven, MI
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: storm
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: unknown
Details: She sank in a storm. Burned at a dock fire at Buffalo Jul 2,1901 and declared total loss, but rebuilt and converted from a package freighter to a bulker.

HENRY NORTON

HENRY NORTON
Other names : none
Official no. : none
Type at loss : schooner, wood, 2-mast
Build info : 1834, Land, Richmond, OH
Specs : 84x12x8, 151 t.
Date of loss : 1863
Place of loss : Pilot Island, mouth of Green Bay
Lake : Michigan
Type of loss : "wrecked"
Loss of life : ?
Carrying : ?
Detail : no detail
Driven ashore by a gale at Milwaukee in 1841. Struck by lightning in Green Bay in 1854.

HENRY U. KING

Specs: 99t
Enrollment: Detroit
Owner: G.D. Dousman
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

H.F. BUES

Specs: 51x13x7, 24gt 12nt
Enrollment:
Date of Loss: July 27 1910
Place of Loss: Middle Ground
Lake Lost: Erie
Type/Cause: foundered
Lives Lost: unknown
Cargo: unknown
Details: Foundered, no other detail

HIRAM MERRILL

Specs: 24t
Enrollment: Detroit
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

HIRAM R. BOND

Type at Loss: unrigged scow, wood
Official No.: 95966
Built: 1888, Milwaukee Ship Yard Co., Milwaukee [built as a propeller steamer]
Specs: 113x26x8, 231g
Enrollment: Milwaukee
Date of Loss: May 29, 1905
Place of Loss: off Milwaukee
Lake Lost: Michigan
Type/Cause: collision
Lives Lost: none
Cargo: sand
Details: Rammed in a fog and sunk by the big carferry PERE MARQUETTE 20. The ferry rescued her crew.

HOME

Specs: 91t
Enrollment:
Date of Loss:
Place of Loss:
Lake Lost:
Type/Cause:
Lives Lost:
Cargo:
Details:

HUNTER

Official No: 11301
Type of Ship: scow-schooner, wood, 2-mast sand scow
Place of Loss: Milwaukee harbor
Type/Cause: loading error
Cargo: sand
More details: She capsized at a dock while unloading and sank, along with a steampump and boiler. She was later raised, but never used again. Owned by Milwaukee Tug Co.
Date Built: 1855
Builder: Smith, Kelley & Lockwood
Where Built: Milan, OH
Size: 101x25x7, 132g

Detroit Free Press, December 20, 1867
MARINE DISASTERS OF 1867
July Scow Hunter, damage while being towed at Milwaukee $100.

Detroit Free Press, 9 Dec, 1873
September
The scows Hunter, Planet and Celt were all damaged more or less in the same gale and arrived at Milwaukee.

HUNTER:
See Lund Bio