Lake Erie
Trade Wind
Depth 120ft/ Length 140ft/ Wooden Bark/ Built in 1853/ Sunk on Dec 1, 1854
   
Trade Wind was a 3-masted bark, an
unusual type for the Great Lakes. She was built in 1853 in Buffalo and met her fate just a few short months after the launch on Dec 1, 1854. Heavily
loaded with the cargo of railroad iron, stoves and 2 US Government-issued lifeboats (the
lifeboats were transported elsewhere as part of cargo), she encountered a severe winter
gale near Long Point. The wheelsman lost the orientation in the storm which resulted in a
collision with “Charles Napier” that destroyed the Trade Wind’s own
lifeboat. Quick thinking crew unpacked and launched the lifeboat that was part of the
cargo and made it to shore without loss of life.
Trade Wind settled on the bottom in
120 ft of water, upright and somewhat intact, especially around the stern area. The masts
have fallen down to the port side, the anchor still in place on a bow as well as other
numerous rigging items. But it is the stern that makes this wreck a special one. The stern
deck is raised above the main deck level forming the cabin/ shelter area and the intact
wheel is then placed right in the middle of it, in a recessed area.
    
      
[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ]
|
