Service History
The
Resumption, a wooden three masted schooner, along with her sister ship the
Ford River were both built in Milwaukee in 1879 for the Ford River Lumber Company by the Wolf & Davidson shipyard. The
Resumption's official registry number was 110384 and she was rated as A1 in Polk's 1881 Marine Directory. The vessel was valued at $15,000 when new and could carry 360,000 feet of lumber. The
Resumption often carried lumber from the Green Bay ports to Chicago or from Wells, Michigan to Chicago. In September of 1911, the
Resumption was caught in a squall off Plum Island and received $500 damage to her spars and rigging.
Final Voyage
November 7, 1914: The treacherous winds and currents of Death's Door ended the 35 year long career of this 3-masted schooner. The
Resumption was bound from Chicago to Wells, Michigan for her last load of lumber for the season, sailing before a strong southwest wind. When abreast of Plum Island she tried to come about and unfortunately missed her stays. She was driven straight onto the beach so rapidly that her anchor could not be lowered to stop her.
A call for help was sent to Sturgeon Bay and the tug
Torrent responded, but by the time an attempt was made to pull her off, the
Resumption was driven so high onto the beach that rescue was impossible. Even with the steamer
I. Watson Stephensen, the government cutter
Tuscarora and the steamer
Herman Hettler aiding the attempts at refloating her, they failed. The
Resumption was eventually stripped and abandoned as a total loss. The
Resumption had carried a seven man crew, all of which were saved and was owned by the I. Watson Stephenson Company of Wells, Michigan.
Today
The schooner
Resumption which had gone ashore on the south side of Plum in line with the Plum Island Range Lights was for several years a popular picnic and excursion site until the elements destroyed her remains. The centerboard trunk was reportedly intact and protruding from the water as late as the 1950's. Today, what is left of the
Resumption is scattered wreckage. Just small sections of the schooner's hull is sitting in 5 to 15 feet of water, quite often covered with sand.