Albatross
Elk Rapids Iron Company service, circa 1900
An interpretive 3D reconstruction of the vessel afloat, in the form named above and from before its loss in East Grand Traverse Bay. It is informed by the historical record set out under History below, where the documented evidence and the interpretation are kept apart; rigging, colours and fittings are partly inferred. It is not a survey of the wreck.
Nobody knows the exact spot where this ship went down, so the marker shows the general area.
Starboard bow · complete vessel · drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, right-drag to pan. Hiding a part shows what sat beneath it; it does not recreate the wreck.
What the model represents
From the model specification. Two lists, kept apart on purpose.
Documented
- The survey reproduces records of a 62×15.5×4.75 ft tug built by George H.Notter in 1880. Doyal, MacMaster and O’Meara, Albatross survey, 2009
- Construction records describe white-oak framing/planking, pine deck and galvanized metal house roofs. Doyal, MacMaster and O’Meara, Albatross survey, 2009
Inferred
- Underwater hull lines and draft
- Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Configuration caveat. Construction specifications and a wreck survey establish the 62 × 15.5 ft oak tug. Photographs of this class guide the house and single funnel; some historical photo labels may mix Albatross with her very similar sister tugs. Metal-covered roofs and white hull are documented; minor fittings are inferred.
Two numbers that are not the same thing. The waterline toggle sits at 1.70 m above the keel, a display assumption, not a measured draft. The wreck lies in about 10 ft of water; that describes the site, not the ship.
Renders from the model
History, evidence and limits
The research notes behind the reconstruction, reproduced with their citations.
Version 1.1. Metadata and presentation revised September 8, 2026; original evidence review retained.
Selected appearance
Elk Rapids Iron Company service, circa 1900. Construction specifications and a wreck survey establish the 62 × 15.5 ft oak tug. Photographs of this class guide the house and single funnel; some historical photo labels may mix Albatross with her very similar sister tugs. Metal-covered roofs and white hull are documented; minor fittings are inferred.
Documented evidence
The survey reproduces records of a 62×15.5×4.75 ft tug built by George H.Notter in 1880. Doyal, MacMaster and O’Meara, Albatross survey, 2009
Construction records describe white-oak framing/planking, pine deck and galvanized metal house roofs. Doyal, MacMaster and O’Meara, Albatross survey, 2009
Reasonable interpretation
Underwater hull lines and draft
Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
The 2009 survey reproduces construction and enrollment documents and historical images. Its account describes white oak hull framing and planking, a pine deck, galvanized metal house roofs, iron fender and forward waterline sheathing. The 62 × 15.5 × 4.75 ft tug was built by George H. Notter in 1880. A 4.5 ft propeller is recorded. Service ended around 1916. The report cautions that images may mix the closely related company tugs.
Similar company boats complicate individual photo identification. The construction documents constrain the class enough for a credible interpretation, but do not establish every circa-1900 exterior detail. Loss/abandonment is approximate.
No complete original lines plan was recovered. Exact colors, underwater lines, loaded draft and hidden fittings are inferred. The model is newly authored exterior geometry; it is not a scan of a historical object.
Unresolved uncertainties
No complete original lines plan is claimed. Exact loaded draft, concealed surfaces and fine fittings remain interpreted. The earlier research context below retains the source distinctions used for this reconstruction.
House proportions use company-tug photos as qualified comparisons. Exact windows, towing bitt, unseen hull body and small fittings are approximate. The documented metal roofs are represented by smooth neutral surfaces. The roof toggle removes only house roof surfaces, not a historical refit. The ornamental bird is omitted because its actual shape and photographic appearance are uncertain.
Sources
Illustration conditions
warm autumn afternoon, quiet sheltered water, distant muted fall trees. Weather, shore and sky are artistic staging, not evidence of final-voyage conditions. AI artwork is supplemental and may differ from the GLB; map previews must use the actual model poster.
Sources used for the model
Rights and respect
Removing or disturbing wreckage on Great Lakes bottomlands is a felony under Michigan Part 761, 1994 PA 451, at a fair market value of $100 or more. Positions are historical reference only — not navigation and not dive-planning data. Wreck records are published by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council.
Treat these as graves. Lives were lost on many Great Lakes wrecks and human remains may still be present. Look, photograph, and leave everything exactly as you found it.
Model and renders were newly made for this project (2026). Three.js r160.1 is used under the MIT licence; its notice ships with the vendored files. Wreck position, depth and dates: Michigan Underwater Preserve Council. The model specification (version 1.1, revised 2026-09-08) is published beside the assets (model-spec.json).