F.T. Barney

The bow of a wooden ship — View from above of the bow of *F.T. Barney*.

Vessel Type: Sail: two-masted schooner

GPS Location: N45°29.150’ W83°50.550’

Depth: 160 feet

Wreck Length: 160 feet

Beam: 26 feet

Gross Tonnage: 254

Cargo: Coal

Built: 1856 by W. Cheney at Vermillion, Ohio

Wrecked: October 23, 1868

Mooring Buoy Data

Description: On October 23, 1868, F.T. Barney collided with another schooner off Presque Isle when in transit between Cleveland, Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. F.T. Barney and its cargo of coal sank in a matter of minutes. No lives were lost.

Like many of the schooners lost in the deeper waters of Lake Huron, F.T. Barney is almost completely intact. It rests upright in 160 feet of water. Because F.T. Barney settled slowly, it sustained only minor damage; divers visiting the site can see its intact stern cabin, erect main mast, and cargo hold full of coal. One of the best preserved shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, it was the first shipwreck in Lake Huron placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Great Lakes Maritime Collection digital archive: http://greatlakeships.org/2896358/data?n=1

A diver swims next to the wheel of a shipwreck — A scuba diver shines a light on the ship’s wheel of *F.T. Barney*, still in place on the stern deck.

A diver hovers above a shipwreck — A technical diver photo-documents the intact bow of *F.T. Barney*.

A diver shines a light on a shipwreck — A diver peers into the cabin of the wooden schooner *F.T. Barney*.