Daniel Lyons Shipwreck
East of Stoney Creek outlet, Lake Michigan, Kewaunee County
Date of Construction: 1873
Builder: George Goble
Built in 1873 by the famous shipwright George Goble of the Goble and MacFarlane Shipyard in Oswego New York, the Daniel Lyons was the first three-masted canaller built in Oswego and became the yard's signature design. Canallers were a unique vessel type developed on the Great Lakes, designed to transit the Welland Canal locks while carrying the maximum amount of cargo through the canal locks with only inches to spare. Grain was transported from ports on western Lake Michigan, collected from the newly settled farmlands of the Midwest, to eastern ports on Lakes Erie and Ontario. Vessels returning to Lake Michigan were often loaded with coal, used for heating Midwestern cities and powering factories. The Daniel Lyons led a successful and uneventful career until a collision with the schooner Kate Gillett in the early morning hours of 18 October 1878 sent the Daniel Lyons to the bottom within fifteen minutes. The Daniel Lyons is located 4 miles off Stoney Creek's outlet into Lake Michigan, 9 miles northeast of Algoma, Wisconsin. She lies in 110 feet of water, somewhat broken up, but with nearly all hull structure and rigging represented.
State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this shipwreck site. Removing, defacing, displacing or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. More information on Wisconsin's historic shipwrecks may be found by visiting Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks website. |