Anthony Wayne Shipwreck Survey
Summer 2008
Bradley A. Krueger
Nautical Archaeology Program, Texas A&M University

In June 2008, The Great Lakes Historical Society and the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center partnered with Texas A&M University to undertake a project 158 years in the making. The wreck of the Anthony Wayne, a mid-19th century side-wheel passenger and cargo steamer, was the site of an intense archaeological examination. The Wayne, which rests approximately six miles north of Vermilion, OH, was discovered using side scan sonar technology in September 2006 by Tom Kowalczk, a member of the Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE). Divers from CLUE verified this incredible find in May 2007 and announced the discovery of the wreck in association with the Great Lakes Historical Society.

The Anthony Wayne was built in 1837 by Samuel Hubbell for the Perrysburg & Miami Steamboat Company in Perrysburg, OH. The Wayne, with its cargo of passengers and packet freight, plied the waters of the upper lakes, making frequent stops at Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago. In 1847, the steamer suffered an accident and was hauled to Trenton, MI where the hull was extensively rebuilt, old machinery removed, and a new engine and boilers added. The steamer was then sold to Charles B. Howard & Company in 1848 and spent the rest of its career on Lake Erie, servicing the shipping route from Toledo to Buffalo and everything in between.

On the night of April 27th, 1850, the Wayne was making its usual run from Toledo to Buffalo carrying a cargo of passengers, liquor, wine, and livestock. The steamer had stopped at Sandusky to pick up more passengers and left the dock around 9pm. Shortly after midnight, the Wayne was passing Vermilion, OH when the two starboard-side boilers suddenly exploded. The ill-fated steamer was immediately engulfed in flames and quickly sank to the bottom of Lake Erie, as crew and passengers struggled for survival. Out of the nearly 100 people on-board, 38 people were reported as killed or missing. The tragedy of the Anthony Wayne reached towns and cities all along Lake Erie's coast, and its story of survival and loss quickly became prominent amongst shipwrecks of the Great Lakes.

The Anthony Wayne Shipwreck Survey is an archaeological investigation to thoroughly document the present-day conditions of the wreck site. Steamboats were a major force in the transportation revolution of the nineteenth century and there is much to learn from the remains of these vessels. There are several overall goals of this project: to learn about early Great Lakes steamboat construction, how passenger and cargo steamers impacted both regional and national economic development, and to learn about those who worked, lived, and traveled aboard these early side-wheel steamboats.

The Anthony Wayne Shipwreck Survey has completed the 2008 field season and much has been accomplished over the past four weeks. The project this year was divided into two phases. Phase one consisted of detailed recording of all structural components protruding up from the soft, muddy bottom of Lake Erie. These components include the remains of the fragile port- and starboard-side paddlewheels, the connecting drive shaft, pitman arm, engine linkages, steam expansion cylinder, and finally the remnants of the wooden hull. Once measurements were taken and detailed sketches completed, work then began on the second phase of the project, subsurface probing of the lake bottom. The goal of this was to determine how much of the Wayne lies buried beneath the soft mud. The wreck is situated in two sections, the two large paddlewheels and the remnants of the bow. The two sections are separated by 80 feet and methodical probing determined that there are significant hull remains between the two sections buried beneath the lake bottom. While preliminary field work is now completed, there is still much work to be done. Research into the historic record and analysis of this year's field data will help in preparation for continued investigation of the Anthony Wayne in 2009.

This project could not have been possible without the generous support from the Great Lakes Historical Society, the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center, and Texas A&M University. Additional thanks should be paid to Carrie Sowden, Chris Gillcrist, Tom Kowalczk, Will Moser, Matt Mossman, Mike Mossman, and several enthusiastic volunteers who helped make this field season such a success.

Click on the images to view larger versions. Images open in a new window.

Project director Brad Krueger gets suited up for a dive on the Anthony Wayne.	Brad Krueger prepares to visit the Anthony Wayne.	Carrie Sowden, archaeological director of The Great Lakes Historical Society,enters the water to survey the Anthony Wayne.	Brad Krueger measures and records hull remains from the Anthony Wayne.
The Anthony Wayne's starboard-side paddlewheel.	The bow section of the Anthony Wayne.	The large iron drvie shaft.	Engine linkages are situated over the drive shaft on the Anthony Wayne.
A broken paddle, or bucket, from the steamboat Anthony Wayne.	A cross-head pump.	Brad Krueger and Carrie Sowden carefully measure the port-side paddlewheel of the Anthony Wayne.	A cathead protrudes from the bow of the Anthony Wayne.
Brad Krueger and Carrie Sowden return from a successful dive on the Anthony Wayne.	Captain Tom Kowalczk, discoverer of the Anthony Wayne.

Read about the Anthony Wayne survey in the news: (Links open in a new window)

Toledo Blade Multimedia Slideshow, "Surveying the Anthony Wayne," narrated by Carrie Sowden and Brad Krueger.
 
Cleveland Plain Dealer, 01 July 2008.
Toledo Blade, 29 June 2008.
The Lorain Morning Journal, 01 June 2008.
Sandusky Register,, 06 July 2008.
WTAM 1100 AM Cleveland, 12 July 2008.

Return to the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center webpage, or the Home Page.