David Dows
Name: David Dows
Dimensions: 265’ Long, 37’6 Beam, 18’1 Depth
Vessel: Five Masted Schooner
Launched: April 21, 1881
Owner: M.D Carrington of Toledo
Builder: Bailey Brothers at Toledo, Ohio
Cargo: Coal, Grain, Iron Ore
Career: 8 years
History: Largest 5-masted Schooner of its time.
Sunk: Storm on November, 29th, 1889
Lives lost: None, possible that crew had limbs removed due to frostbite.
Depth: 40 Feet
Dive Difficulty: Easy
Coordinates: LAT/LON: 41 45.95’ / 087 23.58 (about 5 miles from the Indiana shoals)
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When the David Dows was built, she was the largest sailing vessel on the great lakes. Her immense size made maneuvering under sail power difficult. This contributed to several collisions with other vessels and accidents when docking. Eventually her owners decided she was better utilized as a barge. Being towed from port to port, although it took longer, made her easier to control. She was being towed to Chicago in late November of 1889 when a winter storm whipped the lake up and swamped her. The crew tried to bail the water out but were unsuccessful. She sank in 40 feet of water 10 miles from Chicago.
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