H. P. Bridge
Great Lakes Shipwreck News & Rumor ... with the stern end sunk into 12 feet of the lake bottom. On Lake Huron, Dave Trotter and Underwater Research Associates have announced the discovery of the barkentine H.P. Bridge. Sunk off Saginaw Bay in 1869, the Bridge …
From Kris Kohl's book: The Great Lakes Diving Guide (V2) The H.P. Bridge is in 215 feet of water and is level. It is a technical dive. This wreck was reportedly located by Dick Race in 1970 while he was searching for a modern barge, then found in 2004 by Dave Trotter and his team. The three-masted, 426-ton bark, H. P. Bridge (164'4" x 30'2" x 12'6"), built in 1864 at Detroit, sank on May 11, 1869, after colliding in dense fog with the steamer, Colorado. No lives were lost. All three masts are upright on this intact wreck, and the bow sports a unique eagle figurehead. Image: A sidescan sonar image of the H. P. Bridge reveals much about what type of ship it was and its present condition. Sidescan courtesy of David Trotter / Undersea Research Associates Dick Race was an early shipwreck hunter who also discovered the Argus, however the claim on the Bridge is rather thin.
However the Bridge was built as bark (rare on the lakes due to the long range sail set up) in 1849 and lost in a Collision with the steamer Colorado in May of 1869. Colorado did not hear the Bridge's horn and ran her down in heavy fog. Bridge was carrying a load of white brick for the Mariners Cathedral or some other church that still stands to this day. Her loss set back the construction by a year and a half. She is at this time the most intact barkentine found on the lakes. However Stan Stock jumped us on the site several years ago. Although the numbers are not public, we are not the only group who has been on it. From: Jared Daniels |
BRIDGE, H. P. (1864, Barkentine)
Year of Build: 1864 Official Number: 11202 Construction and Ownership Built at: Detroit, MI Vessel Type: Barkentine Hull Materials: Wood Number of Decks: 1 Builder Name: James M. Jones Original Owner and Location: E.W. Hudson, Detroit, MI Power Number of Masts: 3 Propulsion Notes: Fitted out with second hand rigging. Dimensions Length: 164' Beam: 30' Depth: 12' Tonnage (old style): 553 Final Disposition Final Location: 40 mile SE of Thunder Bay Island. Lake Huron. Date: 11 May 1869 How: Collision. Final Cargo: Oats & 65,000 bricks. Notes: Collided with steamer COLORADO in fog, crew saved. Bound Milwaukee-Detroit. History
From the Collection of: C. Patrick Labadie |