City of Alpena
Tug
Historic Research Collection

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GPS Location: N44°47.268' W83°17.664'
Depth: 9 Feet
Wreck Length: 202 Feet
Beam: 17 Feet
Gross Tonnage: 76
Cargo: Light
Launched: 1874 in New Jerusalem, Ohio
Wrecked: August 9, 1880
Description: In early August 1880 while off Black River, the tug caught fire ½ mile from shore and burned to the waterline. The crew abandoned the tug by small boat. The wrecked hull is inverted, a probable result of ice and wave movement. The keel is intact from stem to stern and most of the hull strakes remain in place, though the stern is considerably more intact than the bow. A four bladed cast iron propeller, shaft, and bearing are visible through missing hull strakes, and disarticulated wreckage is strewn about the shallow reef.