Light Vessel No.57


Light Vessel No.57 was an American lightvessel that was built in 1891, and served on the Great Lakes, west of the Straits of Mackinac; from her construction, to her retirement in 1924. She was wrecked by a storm a couple years later. On December 16, 1996 the remains of Light Vessel No.57 were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Light Vessel No.57 was built in 1891, in Toledo, Ohio by the Craig Shipbuilding Company, at a cost of $14.225. She was one of three federal lightvessels designed for use during the navigational season as an experiment to avoid the construction of a much more expensive permanent lighthouse. Her wooden hull was long, and was built of white oak planks, that were fastened together with 5.8 inch iron spikes. Her beam was wide, and her hull was deep. She also had a gross tonnage of 130 tons, and a net tonnage of 101 tons. She had two masts, and a cluster three oil burning lens lanterns that were hoisted onto each masthead. She had a top speed of eight knots.
From 1891 to 1923, Light Vessel No.57 was stationed at Grey's Reef, a ridge of rock 18 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge in northeastern Lake Michigan. Due to the increased ship traffic in the area, it was decided that she would be moved to Gray's Reef to make the area safer.

Later history

Light Vessel No.57 was retired in 1923. In 1924 she was sold to the South Shore Yacht Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was no longer in the federal government's records. Later, she was condemned and dismantled and finally brought to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She lay in Norwegian Alley for several years. In 1928, Light Vessel No.57 was taken to the South Shore Beach, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was used as a clubhouse until she was wrecked by a storm several years later.
A November 28, 1926 issue of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Light Vessel No.57 was bought by a junk dealer who "removed the pig iron and sold it with all else removable and salable."

Wreck of ''Light Vessel No.57''

The remains of Light Vessel No.57 were discovered by divers along the shore, about south off the tip of South Shore Park. One of the divers reported that while most of the ship was buried under silt in to of water, some parts of her hull are poking through the lake floor.

Legacy

In November 2018, the Sprecher Brewery released a beer named after Light Vessel No.57.