B.W. Blanchard

Snorkeler with B. W. Blanchard Wreck
Resting in less than 10 feet of water, B.W. Blanchard is an ideal snorkeling site.

Vessel Type: Motor: steam barge

GPS Location: N45°01.271’ W83°15.763’

Depth: 9 Feet

Wreck Length: 221 Feet

Beam: 32.4 Feet

Gross Tonnage: 919

Cargo: Lumber

Launched: 1870 by Quayle and Martin at Cleveland, Ohio

Wrecked: November 29, 1904

Mooring Buoy Data

Description: The B.W. Blanchard and its consort schooner barges John T. Johnson and John Kilderhouse ran aground together on North Point Reef during a blinding snowstorm. The Kilderhouse was later pulled off the rocks but B.W. Blanchard and John T. Johnson stuck fast and soon were smashed to pieces by the storm. Their remains are now intermixed in very shallow water easily accessible to paddlers and snorkelers.

Great Lakes Maritime Collection digital archive: http://greatlakeships.org/2896990/data?n=1

Snorkeler with B. W. Blanchard Wreck
A snorkeler approaches the wooden remains of B.W. Blanchard