Brief History of John M. Osborne

The John M. Osborne (Official Number 76307) was built in 1882, by Morley & Hill of , Marine City Micihgan.   It was a wooden steam barge built for bulk freight with dimensions length 178 ft, beam 32 ft, and depth 14 ft.  It was owned by W.C. Richardson of Ashtabula, Ohio.  On July 27, 1884 in thick fog she was sunk by the Canadian steamer Alberta, 6 miles west northwest of Whitefish Point, Lake Superior.  The Osborne had departed Marquette bound for Ashtabula, Ohio with a load of iron ore and two barges in tow, when she collided with the steel passenger steamer Alberta.  The Alberta stayed in the gash until most of Osborne's crew scrambled aboard.  Four crew of the Osborne and one from the Alberta lost their lives in the collision. This was the Alberta's third serious collision of the year.

The Site:  The Osborne was discovered in 1984 in 170' of water about 6 miles WNW of Whitefish Pt.  Although a tech dive, it is also one of the best dives in the Whitefish area.  The ship is in very good state of preservation and is another great example of a wooden freighter of the 1880's era.  The bow with the anchors is a highlight of the dive.  Although the pilot house and cabins are gone the stem and deck are intact.  The kedge style anchors still rest on deck where they were stowed.  Much of the stern is collapsed.  The stern cabins are gone apparently wiped out by the boiler's path as it slide across the deck as the ship sank.  The engine is intact and is an unusual design from this early era.  The coal bunker can be penetrated and is very interesting and still filled with coal.  There is usually a mooring line attached to the wreck to a deck winch.

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