Located nine miles southeast of Port Washington, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, in Lake Michigan, the remains of the wreck known as the scow schooner Tennie and Laura rests in 307 feet of water, upright and intact with a standing foremast and rigging. The vessel was first discovered during the search for the lost fish tug Linda E in 1998, and was first viewed via a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) deployed from the Coast Guard Cutter Acacia in January 1999. Wisconsin Historical Society archeologists and volunteers visited the shipwreck in June 2005 and listed the site to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Built in 1876 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by Gunder Jorgensen, the Tennie and Laura is one of the most intact scow schooners discovered to date. The vessel serviced Lake Michigan through the height of the intra-lake lumber trade, and was lost after capsizing in a storm in 1903. Today, little documentation exists that illustrates how these unique vessels were constructed, the nuances of differing hull lines, construction techniques, and adaptations to bulk cargo needs. State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this 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.

Wisconsin Shipwrecks