Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail
Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail

Explore Shipwrecks: Mecosta

Ship Information

Ship Name: Mecosta 
Also Known As: None 
Type of Ship: Wood Propeller Steamer  
Ship Size: 281' x 40' x 20' 
   
Ship Owner: General Transit Company, C.S Barker 
Gross Tonnage: 1776 
Net Tonnage: 1418 
Typical Cargo: Freight 
   
Year Built: 1888 - F.W. Wheeler & Company, West Bay City, Michigan  

Shipwreck Information

Official Wreck Number: 91983 
Wreck Location: 41 31.854 N 81 52.997 W 
Type of Ship at Loss: Same 
Cargo on Ship at Loss: None 
Captain of Ship at Loss: N/A 
   
The Shipwreck Today:

This information will be updated as it becomes available.  

The Story of the Loss

October 29, 1922  

Interesting Facts

Greenwood states: "Launched as a bulk freighter. She was converted to a combination bulk freighter and automobile carrier at Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Michigan in 1919. Addition of a small elevator amidship to lower and raise new automobiles did little to change the overall appearance of this ship. The vessel operated until October 22, 1922, when the hull was stripped of machinery at Cleveland, Ohio, and the hulk was towed to a point 8-3/4 miles north of 80 degrees west from the Cleveland pierhead light and scuttled in 48 feet of water in Lake Erie. This wooden vessel was launched on March 11, 1888, and was named for Mecosta, Michigan. The name was chosen because Mecosta was the site of a lumber mill, which jointly was owned by the ship's original owner and the Central Michigan Pine and Plank Company. The nearby Muskegon River was used to float logs and semi-finished products to market. The site is in the west central portion of the state's lower peninsula."  

Cited Sources

1. Kohl, C. 2001. The Great Lakes Diving Guide. Seawolf Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 66, West Chicago, IL, 60186.

2. Great Lakes Historical Society/Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center Files

3. Historical Collection of the Great Lakes Great Lakes Vessel Online Index University Libraries/Bowling Green State University

4. Greenwood, J.O. Namesakes 1920-1929. Freshwater Press, Inc. 1984. 334 The Arcade, P.O. Box 14009, Cleveland, OH 44114-0009

 

Multimedia

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POSITION STATEMENT:
The Ohio Sea Grant College Program is located within The Ohio State University. <Ohio Sea Grant Extension is part of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Sea Grant College Program>.  Ohio Sea Grant is one of 32 programs in the National Sea Grant College Program, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce, all of which are dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources.  Ohio Sea Grant uses a combination of research, education and outreach projects to address critical environmental, economic and education issues affecting Ohio, the Great Lakes region and the nation. Sea Grant is a true partnership between universities, government and the private sector. Each year the program supports projects at a number of Ohio colleges, universities and agencies. Also part of Ohio Sea Grant is the university's F.T. Stone Laboratory, located on Gibraltar Island at Put-in-Bay, Referred to as Ohio's Lake Erie Laboratory . Stone Lab was created in 1895, and is the oldest freshwater biological field station in the country. The Laboratory is administered by the School of Environment and Natural Resources in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University.

SHIPWRECK LOCATIONS:
The latitude/longitude locations provided within are to the best of our knowledge, yet approximate.  Our sources include file data from GLHS/PLESRC, The Great Lakes Diving Guide by Chris Kohl ,MAST publicly published coordinates dive centers,  private divers and scuba clubs. However, these coordinates should NOT to be used for navigation. The reason for this is coordinates may vary slightly between each information source; due specifically to the fact that individual GPS instruments may perform slightly different from each other, for a variety of reasons.

If you plan to visit one of the shipwreck sites specifically for scuba diving purposes, we advise you contact one of the following for more up-to-date, exact locations and any new wreck information which may be available:

 

 
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