Hammond Bay 2 Tank Diving

Name(s) Henry J. Johnson
Registry US
Official Number 95950
Vessel Type Bulk Freighter
Year Built 1888
Year Sank 1902
Hull Material Wood
Engines Double Expansion Steam, Fore and Aft

Dimensions
Length 260 ft
Width 40 ft
Depth 21 ft

Wreck Site Information
Lake Huron
State or Province Michigan
Depth 160 ft
GPS Coordinates 45° 38.043′ N 084° 06.260′ W
Site Description The Henry Johnson lies with its cargo area intact with the bow and stern broken with the stern being split open. The cabins are gone but the fore and aft double expansion engine, boilers, propeller, split stack, and rudder are extant on or near the stern. The rudder lies off the starboard stern sitting with the blade upright and the shaft balanced on the quadrant. The steel boiler cabin is collapsed. At the bow the windlass, capstan, and an iron stock kedge anchor lie in the collapsed deck wreckage. A deck winch sits on the cargo deck.

Lake Name: Lake Huron
Shipwreck Name: James R. Bentley
Vessel Type: Three-Masted Schooner
Location: Cheboygan, MI
Vessel Build Info: 1867, Bailey Bros., Fairport, OH
Shipwreck Specs: 170 ft, 575 t.
Official Number:
Names Other: none shows in ’69 mvus as JAMES R. BENTLY

Sinking Detail
Bound Buffalo for Chicago, she struck a shoal in heavy weather and foundered. Her crew was rescued from rough seas by the bark ERASTUS CORNING(qv).
Wreck was located in 1984.
Loss Date: 11/12/1878
Loss Place: off 40-mile Point, eastern Straits of Mackinac
Loss Life: none
Loss Reason: Storm
Vessel Cargo: Grain

Shipwreck Description
The mizzenmast is upright but the other masts have toppled. The stunningly unique dragon figurehead is now on a display in the Wisconsin museum.

Dive Type: Entry level technical
Depth Deck(ft): 155 ft
Depth Bottom(ft): 165 ft
Depth Deck(m): 47 m
Depth Bottom(m): 50 m

GPS Location: N45° 41.961’ W84° 09.174’

Depth: 168 feet

Wreck Length: 128 feet

Beam: 26 feet

Gross Tonnage: 345

Cargo: Wheat

Launched: 1855 by James Baker in Oswego, New York

Wrecked: September 16, 1868

Description: An October 2, 1868 telegram from Oswego, New York, to the Chicago Tribune reads, “The schooner Persian from Chicago to this port with wheat, collided with the schooner E.B. Allen 15 days ago on Lake Huron and as nothing has been heard of the former vessel since, it is feared that she is lost with all on board” (Chicago Tribune, 3 October 1868).

The schooner E.B. Allen arrived in Chicago and reported it collided with the Persian four miles north of Presque Isle. Statements from the crew revealed that both vessels were sailing up Lake Huron when E.B. Allen attempted to pass Persian as they rounded Presque Isle. The maneuver brought the vessels unnecessarily close, and E.B. Allen struck the starboard quarter of the Persian, who had the right of way. Captain Long of E.B. Allen saw Persian head for shore after the impact and continued on to Chicago. Unfortunately, Persian did not make land and instead sank quickly with all hands and was not seen again until sport divers discovered the shipwreck site in 1991.

Vessel Type: Sail: three-masted schooner barge

GPS Location: N45° 46.885’ W84° 13.817’

Depth: 168 feet

Wreck Length: 242 feet

Beam: 40 feet

Gross Tonnage: 1270

Cargo: Grain (wheat)

Launched: 1890 by Frank W. Wheeler & Co. in West Bay City, Michigan

Wrecked: April 22, 1893

Description: Newell A. Eddy was a large three-masted schooner barge typically towed by steamer Charles A. Eddy in an arrangement referred to as “the consort system.” The pair worked across the lakes in the grain trade. On an early season trip in 1893, Newell A. Eddy broke free from its consort during a strong storm as they rounded the Straits of Mackinac bound for Buffalo, New York, with a cargo of wheat. Unpowered and fully loaded with cargo, Newell A. Eddy was swallowed by the storm with all hands off Cheboygan. Discovered in 1992 with masts still standing and its hull completely intact, the remains of Newell A. Eddy are now a popular dive site.