Manhattan
Original c.1887 working appearance
An interpretive 3D reconstruction of the vessel afloat, in the form named above and from before its loss in Munising 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.
This ship ran aground along this shore. Nobody knows the exact spot, 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 April 12, 1887 enrollment gives 252.4×38×19.4 ft. Labadie, NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1989)
- Detroit Dry Dock Company built the two-deck, three-masted vessel. Labadie, NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1989)
Inferred
- Underwater hull lines and draft
- Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Configuration caveat. Original three-mast, two-funnel appearance follows NPS historical photographs. Model uses the 1887 enrollment; catalogue construction year remains 1886. Exact funnel spacing and hull lines are interpreted.
Two numbers that are not the same thing. The waterline toggle sits at 4.60 m above the keel, a display assumption, not a measured draft. The wreck lies in about 40 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
Original c.1887 working appearance. Original three-mast, two-funnel appearance follows NPS historical photographs. Model uses the 1887 enrollment; catalogue construction year remains 1886. Exact funnel spacing and hull lines are interpreted.
Documented evidence
The April 12, 1887 enrollment gives 252.4×38×19.4 ft. Labadie, NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1989)
Detroit Dry Dock Company built the two-deck, three-masted vessel. Labadie, NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1989)
Reasonable interpretation
Underwater hull lines and draft
Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
This reconstruction depicts the original c.1887 working appearance. Labadie reproduces the temporary enrollment dated April 12, 1887: 252.4 ft length, 38.0 ft beam and 19.4 ft hold depth, two decks and three masts; official number 91905. Detroit Dry Dock Company built the vessel for Inter Ocean Transportation Company. The machinery description specifies a 980 hp compound engine and two firebox boilers. Figures 4.10 and 4.11 show the original and later appearance; their caption explicitly identifies three masts and two stacks in the original form. NPS study, printed pp.48–50.
The hull is scaled to 76.93152 m by 11.5824 m. Three bare working masts, a forward wheelhouse, low aft cabin and two aft funnels follow the photographic silhouette. The exact stations, funnel spacing, window count, cabin height, hull lines and propeller geometry are inferred from incomplete evidence. The model uses two funnels in a fore-and-aft arrangement as an explicit visual interpretation; their precise original arrangement has not been established from a plan. Paint colors cannot be recovered from these monochrome photographs. No original lines or rigging plan was recovered. 3D Shipwrecks survey entry independently supports the principal dimensions and 1887 construction date.
The project workbook says built 1886; the model follows the NPS enrollment baseline of 1887 and does not silently change the catalogue. The ship burned after stranding in October 1903. This intact model is not its wreck state or its final reduced rig. Four removable hatch covers expose simplified dark hatch wells; they do not reveal a reconstructed interior. The hatch_covers group is controlled by setHatches(boolean). There are no display sails. Wreck coordinates remain approximate.
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.
Sources
- Labadie, NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1989)
- 3D Shipwrecks: Manhattan
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
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).