A Tale of Two Centerboards: Double Centerboard Sailing Ships of the Great Lakes

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Centerboards - wooden or metal boards that pivot down into the water from the bottom of a sailing ship - increase the lateral resistance of sailing vessels while not permanently increasing their draft of water, allowing vessels to sail closer to the wind in deep water and still enter shallow bays, harbors, canals, and rivers. Centerboards gained popularity in the Great Lakes starting in the early 1800s. But while vessels with a single centerboard were common, previous fieldwork by the Wisconsin Historical Society suggested that sailing vessels with double centerboards were unusual. Dedicated research using historical records, archaeological studies, and the results of shipwreck exploration throughout the Great Lakes revealed that double centerboards were far more common than once believed. Thus far, research has revealed 26 double centerboard ships that once sailed the Great Lakes, including the known wrecks of 17 double centerboard vessels sunk beneath the waters of the inland seas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow