Byron (1849)
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Wreck site plan
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By The Numbers
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Built
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Lives Lost
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Depth (ft)
 
 
Service History

The 36-foot Byron is a small undocumented lakeshoring schooner built around 1849. Little is known about how the Byron was operated in her early years other than she spent time sailing lumber products between Manistee, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Final Voyage

On the evening of May 8th, 1867, the Byron was underway from Milwaukee to Manitowoc when she encountered the upbound Canton. As the two vessels closed in, the Canton unexpectedly changed course, turning directly into the Byron The Canton's bow struck the Byron rolling her over. After fifteen minutes the Byron went to the bottom. Captain Burmeister (of the Byron), along with his son and one passenger jumped onto the Canton who took them to shore in their yawl. The crew of the Canton refused to try saving the Byron.
Today

The Byron rests in 135 feet of water twelve miles southeast of Sheboygan. In May of 1977 a commercial fisherman snagged one of the wreck's anchors and soon divers visited the site. Recreational divers recovered much of the Byron's cargo and equipment.

Today, the Byron, setting upright, is almost completely covered with a layer of zebra mussels and the hull is filled with a layer of silt approximately one foot in depth. Although the Byron was reportedly filled with cargo when it was discovered, there is no cargo or artifacts of any kind to be seen.
 
Map
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