Cornelia B. Windiate photogrammetry model — NOAA Thunder Bay NMS
Arc 01 · Trade·1875·Lake Huron

Cornelia B. Windiate

Wooden Schooner — 138 ft · built 1874 · sank 1875 · N45°19.526' W83°13.106' · depth 185 ft

Mystery 1875Upright + intact
Photogrammetry · NOAA Thunder Bay NMS
138 ft
Length
1874
Built
1875
Sank
185 ft
Depth
All hands (9)
Lives Lost
— 3D Model
Photogrammetry · Sketchfab
Model courtesy NOAA Thunder Bay NMS · open in Sketchfab ↗
— Audio narration
Listen to the story
Cornelia B. Windiate
0:00—:—

Roughly 90 seconds. Atmospheric narration scripted from the NOAA TBNMS record and produced for this site.

— Arc 01 · Trade

The story

Built by Thomas Windiate at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, this three-masted schooner departed Milwaukee in November 1875 with 21,000 bushels of wheat — far exceeding her 16,000-bushel capacity. Spray from huge waves may have coated the vessel with layers of ice, adding crushing weight.

The crew of nine vanished off Presque Isle. The wreck was not discovered until 1986, when divers found her sitting upright with masts intact and the crew's abandoned lifeboat preserved by cold freshwater conditions.

— Where it lies

Cornelia B. Windiate on the lakebed

N45°19.526' W83°13.106' · depth 185 ft · 58 other wrecks within ~25 nm
Open full interactive map →
Sources: NOAA Thunder Bay NMS · Michigan Underwater Preserves Council · Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center
3D model: NOAA Thunder Bay NMS via Sketchfab
Audio: Amazon Polly Generative "Ruth" · script by Terrain360