Sailor Boy
Photographed passenger-service career
An interpretive 3D reconstruction of the vessel afloat, in the form named above and from before its loss in Keweenaw 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 steamer built by F.W. Wheeler and G.F. Williams at West Bay City in 1891, US116393, Wheeler hull #79. Brendon Baillod — Sailor Boy history and historical passenger-service photographs
- Recorded dimensions 91×24×6.5 ft. Brendon Baillod — Sailor Boy history and historical passenger-service photographs
Inferred
- Underwater hull lines and draft
- Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Configuration caveat. Multiple photographs guide the forward wheelhouse, open upper gallery, central funnel and roof-carried boats. Cabin divisions, seating, hull lines and paint details are interpreted. Sources disagree on the fire year; the preserve and detailed history support 1923. No sailing rig is asserted.
Two numbers that are not the same thing. The waterline toggle sits at 1.80 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
Photographed passenger-service career. Multiple photographs guide the forward wheelhouse, open upper gallery, central funnel and roof-carried boats. Cabin divisions, seating, hull lines and paint details are interpreted. Sources disagree on the fire year; the preserve and detailed history support 1923. No sailing rig is asserted.
Documented evidence
Wooden steamer built by F.W. Wheeler and G.F. Williams at West Bay City in 1891, US116393, Wheeler hull #79. Brendon Baillod — Sailor Boy history and historical passenger-service photographs
Recorded dimensions 91×24×6.5 ft. Brendon Baillod — Sailor Boy history and historical passenger-service photographs
Reasonable interpretation
Underwater hull lines and draft
Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Multiple historical passenger-service photographs guide this reconstruction. Baillod records an 1891 West Bay City wooden steamer measuring 91 × 24 × 6.5 ft, built by F.W. Wheeler and G.F. Williams, with official number 116393 and Wheeler hull #79. His photographs, credited to the Dowling collection, Michigan Tech and Milwaukee Public Library collections, show a broad white passenger vessel, forward wheelhouse at the upper passenger level, open gallery, single central funnel and roof-carried boats. No sailing rig is shown. The preserve lists the wreck with a 1923 loss year.
Relative cabin and roof proportions follow the views, while hidden partitions, seating layout, openings, stairs, roof boat details, paint trim and exact hull lines are inferred. The open upper walkways are maintained rather than inventing a full-height enclosing upper saloon. Small staffs serve as period fittings and are not cargo masts. The canopy toggle removes the roof and two boats to reveal the deck; it is an inspection feature, not a documented movable roof.
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.
The detailed vessel account gives May 12, 1923 for the fire, consistent with the preserve's year. Baillod's later presentation instead says 1921; that conflict is retained rather than silently resolved. The model represents the photographed passenger career, not a dated final refit or sinking state. Draft, interiors and lower hull sections are not established by complete plans.
Sources
- Brendon Baillod — Sailor Boy history and historical passenger-service photographs
- Michigan Underwater Preserves Council — Keweenaw Underwater Preserve, 1923 wreck listing
- Brendon Baillod — Shipwrecks of the Keweenaw Waterway, conflicting fire year
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).