Light Guard
Comparative working barge form, before 1903
An interpretive 3D reconstruction of the vessel afloat, in the form named above and from before its loss in Thunder 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
- Wooden schooner barge built at Detroit by J.M.Jones in 1866. NOAA vessel record
- NOAA catalogue dimensions 143×27 ft. NOAA vessel record
Inferred
- Underwater hull lines and draft
- Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Configuration caveat. NOAA establishes the canal-sized schooner barge, but no securely identified complete portrait or rig plan was recovered. Three bare masts, low aft cabin and hatches are a comparison-based interpretation informed by an ambiguously attributed fleet image. Exact rig and deck layout remain uncertain.
Two numbers that are not the same thing. The waterline toggle sits at 2.70 m above the keel, a display assumption, not a measured draft. The wreck lies in about 6 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
Comparative working barge form, before 1903. NOAA establishes the canal-sized schooner barge, but no securely identified complete portrait or rig plan was recovered. Three bare masts, low aft cabin and hatches are a comparison-based interpretation informed by an ambiguously attributed fleet image. Exact rig and deck layout remain uncertain.
Documented evidence
Wooden schooner barge built at Detroit by J.M.Jones in 1866. NOAA vessel record
NOAA catalogue dimensions 143×27 ft. NOAA vessel record
Reasonable interpretation
Underwater hull lines and draft
Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Visual evidence and comparisons. The inspected historical photograph linked to archive 2894602 may depict Light Guard or Knight Templar. The foreground light-sided cargo hull, raised stern, low accommodation and sailing spars are useful comparative features. The identity and individual mast ownership cannot be securely separated in the crowded image; this package does not relabel it as a definite Light Guard portrait.
Further sources and how they were used.
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.
Evidence assessment: build a qualified interpretation. The selected vessel class, dimensions and the evidence described below support a credible overall likeness. It is not an exact or authenticated as-built replica.
Documented baseline and source differences. NOAA identifies Light Guard as a 143 × 27 ft wooden schooner barge, built in 1866 at Detroit by J.M. Jones and abandoned in 1903. Its canal-sized working class, scale and shared fleet context are documented. NOAA vessel record.
Reasonable interpretations and limits. Three bare masts with furled gaff gear are a chosen working-barge configuration, informed by the ambiguous fleet image, Knight Templar’s secondary three-mast description and regional schooner-barge practice. The mast number for Light Guard is not independently confirmed. The documented canal-size dimensions and hull class support the overall likeness, while the precise rig and deck arrangement remain material uncertainties. The full hull, hatches, low aft cabin, boat and bow spar are authored comparisons; exact paint and fine fittings are unknown. No full spread of display sails or stripped abandonment state is asserted. Wreck fragments at the group site cannot all be assigned confidently to individual vessels.
Selected geometry references. Hull length 143 ft; beam 27 ft. Hold depth unknown (null). Model deck Y=3.9 m and waterline Y=2.7 m are illustrative construction coordinates, not surveyed draft. Wreck water depth is not vessel draft. Existing approximate map coordinates, site attribution and catalogue text were preserved.
Sources
- NOAA vessel record
- Ambiguously attributed fleet photograph
- WHS Sailing Canallers regional context
- Knight Templar secondary record
Illustration conditions
Lake, shoreline, lighting and weather are artistic staging, not evidence of a specific historical voyage. AI artwork is supplemental; the GLB and direct renders establish the delivered geometry.
Sources used for the model
- NOAA vessel record — source
Vessel identity, scale, history and surviving evidence - Ambiguously attributed fleet photograph — source
Comparative hull and deck context; not securely identified Light Guard - WHS Sailing Canallers regional context — source
Canal-size hull family; comparisons do not establish this ship’s exact rig - Knight Templar secondary record — source
Nearby fleet-vessel rig comparison, not direct evidence of Light Guard mast count
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).