Antelope underway
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Antelope |
Owner | L.S. Bowtell, Bay City, Michigan (in 1861) |
Launched | 1861 |
Fate | Sank 1897 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Steamship (1861–1880s), Schooner barge (1880s–1897) |
Tonnage | 523.45 gross register tons |
Length | 186.8 ft (56.9 m) |
Beam | 32 to 34 ft (9.8 to 10.4 m) (sources disagree) |
Depth of hold | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
Propulsion | Steam engine (1861–1880s), Sails (1880s–1897) |
Sail plan | Schooner rig, 3 masts (from 1880s) |
Antelope was a Great Lakes steamship that later was converted into a schooner barge) and sank in Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands in 1897. [1]
J. L. Wolverton built Antelope in Newport, Michigan, in 1861 for L. S. Bowtell of Bay City, Michigan. [2] One of the early steamships on the Great Lakes, [2] she carried passengers between Buffalo, New York and Chicago, Illinois. [2] She burned at Buffalo in 1867, but was rebuilt and returned to service. [3] In the 1880s she was converted into a three- masted schooner barge to haul freight. [2] [3] [4] Despite the removal of her steam engine and boiler — which made more room for cargo [2] — she continued to carry a funnel for the rest of her career. [2]
On October 7, 1897, Antelope was loaded with 1,000 tons of coal and under tow by the steamship Hiram W. Sibley. [2] Both ships were on a voyage from Sandusky, Ohio, to deliver coal to the Pennsylvania and Ashland Coal Company dock in Ashland, Wisconsin. [2] While approaching Michigan Island in the Apostle Islands, Antelope′s seams opened. [2] She began to take on water more quickly than her pumps could pump it out, and she sank in a reported 360 feet (110 m) of water without loss of life. [2] Hiram W. Sibley rescued her crew. [2] Soon after Antelope sank, the schooner Gawn sighted wreckage, including Antelope′s cabin, floating off Michigan Island. [2]
Antelope′s wreck was discovered on September 2, 2016. [3] On February 16, 2018, the wreck was placed on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places. [5] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 2018. [6]
As of September 2016, the wreck sat upright on the lake bottom in over 300 feet (91 m) of water. [3] Two of the three masts remained standing and still had their full rigging, including deadeyes. [3] The forward cabin was intact, and two large wood stocked anchors were still on board. [3] The rudder and ship's wheel lay on the bottom next to the wreck. [3] The stern deckhouse and mizzen mast were missing. [3]
Media related to Antelope (ship, 1861) at Wikimedia Commons