Launched: 1871
Sank: 1908

In August 1908, the S.C. Baldwin sank 2.8 miles off shore of Rawley Point while under tow after capsizing in a storm and being dragged for over two miles. The S.C. Baldwin wreck site has yielded significant information on early wooden steamer construction, converted barge construction and its adaptations for use in the ore, lumber, and stone trades of the Great Lakes region during her 37 year service history. S.C. Baldwin was designed in 1871 by Master shipwright Frank E. Kirby and built under the supervision of Captain Ira H. Owen, one of the vessel’s owners at the Campbell, Owen & Company shipyard in Detroit, Michigan. The S.C. Baldwin is a great example of early wooden steamer construction and converted barge construction. Much of our understanding of this vessel type has come from archaeological data recovered from wreck sites like the S.C. Baldwin.

On August 26 1908, while in tow of the tug Torrent, S.C Baldwin and the scow #37 were headed southbound from Sturgeon Bay with cargos of stone bound to Manitowoc. As the vessels were passing Kewaunee, a storm began to blow from the southeast, and increased in force as they got near Twin Rivers Point (Rawley Point). S.C. Baldwin began to take on water around midnight. The water came in forward and pushed the ship down by the head making it impossible to relieve the vessel of water. She was caught by a strong gust of wind and listed causing some of the cargo to be dumped, which caused her roll to the other side. Around 3AM on 27 August, the vessel capsized, dumping all of her stone cargo. The boat was held up by the towlines forward and aft between the tug and the scow. As the vessel overturned, two of the three men aboard jumped clear of the vessel, but one crew member Jacob Tildman, remained clinging to the overturned hull.

S.C. Baldwin’s condition remained unnoticed by the crew aboard Torrent until sunrise at 4:30AM when they were 3 miles south, southeast of the point. Once the crewmen aboard Torrent realized the situation, they cut the lines to the vessel, and S.C. Baldwin righted and quickly went to the bottom. Jacob Tildman scrambled on wreckage that was floating in the water. A line was thrown to him from the tug and he tied it around his waist, jumped into the water and was dragged aboard the tug. The tug searched until 7:00AM for the two missing crewmen who had jumped from S.C. Baldwin. Having no luck, Torrent notified the Lifesaving Stations at Kewaunee and Manitowoc. Torrent returned to the wreck site to retrieve scow #37 and continue to search for the missing men.

It was not until 3PM on August 28, nearly 13 hours after S.C. Baldwin sank, that Captain George Heim was located. He managed to don a lifejacket and clung to bits of wreckage until he was spotted six miles off Kewaunee by crewmembers aboard the Goodrich steamer Carolina. A boat was lowered to him from the steamer amidst cheers from the steamer’s passengers. He was taken aboard the Carolina and given a hot alcohol bath and other stimulants. The other missing man, Jacob Wiltgen was not located until fisherman George LaFond discovered his body while he was lifting his nets five miles off the Sturgeon Bay Canal on 29 August. Wiltgen had been wearing a life preserver and likely died from exposure. On 31 August, Wiltgen’s remains were shipped to his widow in Manitowoc for burial.