Margaret A. Muir (schooner)

Margaret A. Muir was an American schooner that sank in a storm on Lake Michigan, United States, on September 30, 1893. Its wreckage was discovered in of water off Algoma, Wisconsin, on May 12, 2024.

History

Margaret A. Muir, a wooden, three-masted schooner, was built in 1872 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. For 21 years, the ship, which was originally built to carry grain, carried cargo across all five Great Lakes.
On the morning of September 30, 1893, Margaret A. Muir was carrying 4,375 barrels of salt from Bay City, Michigan, to South Chicago, Illinois. The ship's captain David Clow reported the ship was heading toward the Wisconsin coast and had cleared the Straits of Mackinac. At around 05:00, a storm hit the ship, and at around 07:30, the waves increased and began blowing over the ship's decks. As Margaret A. Muir neared the port of Ahnapee, Clow discovered several feet of water in the ship's hold and immediately ordered the crew to abandon ship. Almost as soon as Clow gave the order, the ship sank.
The crew of six made their way through the waves to shore, where townspeople took them to a hotel and provided them with dry clothes. The only fatality was the captain's dog and ship's mascot, which Clow called "an intelligent and faithful animal, and a great favorite with the captain and crew".

Discovery of wreck

On May 12, 2024, 131 years after it sank, a group of maritime historians working with Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association discovered the wreck of Margaret A. Muir. The ship was found in of water and only a few miles away from Algoma Harbor. The deck had come off and the ship's sides had opened, exposing the structure and allowing researchers to see how it was constructed. The ship's deck gear, including its handpumps, bow windlass, capstan and two large anchors, remain intact. Archaeology groups in Wisconsin plan to nominate the site of the wreck for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.