Wells Burt

3D ModelNoAI

Built in 1873 the schooner Wells Burt was about the maximum size for a wooden Great Lakes schooner and had several design innovations not seen in mid-century built schooners. She had a patented capstan driven anchor windlass instead of the ratchet and lever driven windlass of earlier years. Her bitts were mounted on deck plates anchored to the deck and hull rather than mounted on the bulwark. She was touted to be of sturdy construction. Nonetheless after a 10-year career the Wells Burt foundered in a severe storm near Chicago. None of the eleven crew survived. It was assumed that her cargo of coal shifted in the sharp shallow water waves near the south end of the lake and caused her to capsize. It was days before it was confirmed that the wreckage that washed ashore during the storm was indeed from the Wells Burt. Today the Wells Burt is a popular dive site in the Chicago and Hammond area of Lake Michigan. The model was created from 2,138 30 megapixel images shot by Ken Merryman in the 2025 season.