Mary M. Scott
Original c.1857 sailing form
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 the sails shows the deck; it does not recreate the wreck.
What the model represents
From the model specification. Two lists, kept apart on purpose.
Documented
- The 1857 enrollment gives 138.6×26.6×11.8 ft, US16424. Labadie, NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1989)
- Built at Conneaut by Otis De Wolf as a two-masted canal schooner. 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
- Absolute spar heights and sail shapes
Configuration caveat. Uses NPS enrollment dimensions 138.6 x 26.6 x 11.8 ft, rather than the catalogue 130 ft length. Three jibs are reported in an 1870 casualty. Sand Point wreck attribution to Mary M. Scott is probable, not conclusively established.
Two numbers that are not the same thing. The waterline toggle sits at 2.85 m above the keel, a display assumption, not a measured draft. The wreck lies in about 15 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.1857 sailing form. Uses NPS enrollment dimensions 138.6 x 26.6 x 11.8 ft, rather than the catalogue 130 ft length. Three jibs are reported in an 1870 casualty. Sand Point wreck attribution to Mary M. Scott is probable, not conclusively established.
Documented evidence
The 1857 enrollment gives 138.6×26.6×11.8 ft, US16424. Labadie, NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1989)
Built at Conneaut by Otis De Wolf as a two-masted canal schooner. 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
Absolute spar heights and sail shapes
This reconstruction depicts the original c.1857 two-masted canal schooner. Labadie records construction at Conneaut, Ohio by Otis De Wolf for Hearn and Scott of Erie, enrollment June 12, 1857, and official number 16424. Enrollment dimensions are 138.6 ft length, 26.6 ft beam and 11.8 ft hold depth. The model therefore uses 42.24528 m by 8.10768 m. NPS study, printed pp.54–57.
The contemporary summer 1870 storm account transcribed in the study specifically reports loss of the foresail and three jibs. The reconstruction includes two gaff sails and three triangular headsails. This supports three jibs existing at that point in the vessel’s career, but does not prove their exact cut, attachment points or unchanged use in 1857. All sail shapes, spar heights and rigging routes are interpreted.
The NPS analysis considers Mary M. Scott the probable identity of the Sand Point West wreck, while explicitly documenting confused historical names and earlier identifications. The model depicts the historically documented vessel; it does not resolve the archaeological attribution. Keep “probable wreck attribution” visible alongside the approximate marker location.
The spreadsheet’s 130 ft length is preserved. A later NPS visitor brochure rounds the vessel to 138 x 26 x 11 ft; this model follows the more precise enrollment transcription instead. NPS shipwreck brochure. No original lines plan or verified intact photograph was recovered. Hull form, colors, draft, hatches, aft cabin, boat and fittings are inferred. The sails node hides all five display sails, leaving spars and rigging. The November 1870 loss state is not modeled.
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)
- NPS shipwreck brochure
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).