Category Archives: Ships and Boats

Standing near the parking lot for the marina in Sheboygan, Wisconsin are massive timbers held together by iron spikes. They are the remains of the schooner Lottie Copper. The wooden ship was Launched in 1876 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. On the evening of April 8, 1894, the schooner was caught by a relentless northwest gale. After an unsuccessful attempt to signal a tug to tow her, the crew dropped anchor near Sheboygan for the night. By morning, water was flooding into the vessel and a companionway and bulwarks were washed away. Her captain signaled for the Life Savers to come out and take off the crew, but before they arrived, the Lottie Cooper capsized and sank. The cargo of wood planks was caught in the rigging hampering rescue attempts, but finally the Life Savers using their large surfboat along with the aid of the tug Sheboygan, succeeded in rescuing five of the six people on board. The sixth man who tried to make it to shore on a makeshift raft of planks, drowned.

The owners abandoned the schooner and over time the hull lying at the bottom near the harbor was forgotten about. In 1992, when new boat ramps were installed, parts of the ship were discovered. They were pulled out of the cold waters of Lake Michigan and set up on shore in a display that holds the pieces in place where they would have been located on the ship. Walking through them is like diving on a wreck only you don’t need scuba gear or a boat. It is a unique piece of Great Lakes maritime history that is free and accessible to the public.

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Superior Wisconsin sits at the western end of Lake Superior. At the end of Barkers Island in the towns harbor is a strange looking ship. It looks like an combination of freighter and submarine. Designed by Scottish born Captain Alexander McDougall whalebacks had unique rounded sides for waves to crash over. She ships cut through the waves instead of rolling over them. Forty-three ships were constructed an they were primarily used on the Great Lakes to transport grain and ore. The design fell out of favor because the rounded sides required the hatches to be smaller and harder to load and unload the ships.

The S.S. Meteor was built in Superior, Wisconsin in 1896 and was the last operating whaleback. In 1969 the ship ran aground near Marquette and was taken out of service. In 1970 the old whaleback was converted into a museum ship for visitors to explore and learn about these unique ships.

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