1854 Plymouth 1913
Wooden Great Lakes
Built at Cleveland OH by Ira Lafrinier
Launched March 7, 1854
220’ LOA, 213’ LBP, 35’ beam, 13’5” depth
1 deck, coal-fired boiler, high pressure engine,
Enrolled at Buffalo NY May 12, 1854 (#109)
212’6 ¾” x 32’4” x 12’10 ½”, 846 40/95 tons to:
Pearl L. Sternburg & Co., Buffalo NY (home port Buffalo NY)
Sold 1856 to Western Transportation Co., Buffalo NY
Remeasured 1859 to 212’6 1/4” x 32’10 ½ “ x 12’ 10 ½”
Remeasured 1865 under Act of May 6, 1864 (new measuring rules) to 213.5 x 33.6 x 11.75, 1029.89 tons US 19621
Remeasured 1878 to 875.91 tons
Converted to barge 1882
Remeasured to 570.17 tons
Sold 1883 to John B. Lozen, William Baker and James P. Harrow, 1/3 each, New Baltimore MI (home port to New Baltimore MI)
Rebuilt to schooner 1885 at Algonac MI
Remeasured to 213.1 x 35.2 x 13.6, 776.73 GT, 739.68 NT (home port to Detroit MI)
Wrecked Oct 24, 1887 on Presque Isle off Marquette MI, Lake Superior. Upbound with cargo of coal towed by str. Chauncy Hurlbut. Attempted to take shelter from heavy storm in Marquette harbor, tow line from steamer broke and barge driven on shore. Enrollment surrendered Nov 22, 1887 as total loss.
Released spring 1888, repaired and returned to service
Foundered Nov 8, 1913 off St. Martin’s Island, Lake Michigan. Enroute light from Menominee MI to Search Bay MI, Straits of Mackinac for a cargo of cedar posts towed by tug James H. Martin when the tow was caught in the “Big Storm” of 1913. All seven aboard lost.
W044
My great great grandfather was JohnB.Lozen who was part owner with William Baker and James Harrow from the port of New Baltimore. Can you tell me did he ever captain this ship and what was the name of the ship. Do you know if he ever sailed any other vessels?
Can you find any info on any other vessels John B Lozen owned or sailed?
This will try to answer the questions in both of your emails.
My primary interest is in Lakes vessels over 1000 gross tons (Plymouth is only in because for a relatively short time she was just over 1000 GT), so I have very little on the smaller ones, but I did a little research anyway and here is what I found.
First we have to talk about Capt. William Dulac, who was a shipbuilder, vessel owner and vessel manager of Mount Clemens MI, not far from New Baltimore (I don’t know where you are from so don’t know how familiar you are with this area). Most of my records on the under-1000 vessels only go back to about 1899 but three of the vessels he managed at that time were the steamer Charles A. Street and the schooners J. B. Lozen and Jeremiah Godfrey. (Dulac built the Lozen at his yard in 1890.) Capt. Lozen, a contemporary of Dulac (one year younger), was captain of the Godfrey. He apparently came ashore in 1902 (and his son John F. became captain of the Lozen), maybe to help Capt. Dulac, who died that fall. By the 1903 season the the Dulac fleet had been dispersed to different fleets, including the Street, Lozen and Godfrey to Capt Lozen, which makes me think these vessels had all along been his and managed by Dulac while the captain was sailing one of his vessels.
At any rate, it appears that the Street was lost in 1908 and the Godfrey sold to the Grace Harbor Lumber Co. of Detroit. The Lozen continued, with John F. its captain, until she was sold, probably in 1919, to Capt. Richard Burns of Detroit.
I hope this answers your questions.
Sterling Berry