Rosinco

Originally known as the Georgiana III, the ship was constructed in 1916 by Harlan and Hollingsworth in Wilmington, Delaware, a 95-foot steel-hulled yacht.[2] Uniquely, she was built with a Southwart-Harris diesel engine so that if needed, she could be used for wartime purposes.[3] The 240 hp engine had four cylinders, each 9 inches in diameter, with a 13-inch stroke, and it could be powered up from a cold start in ten seconds - significantly faster than the steam engines then typical on yachts.[4]

A luxury yacht, Georgiana III was built for William G. Coxe, the president of the company that built it. The deckhouse was paneled in mahogany, with a large davenport and card table, and with large plate glass windows for good views. Below decks, the main salon was paneled in oak, with English tapestry for wall panels and upholstery, and with three built-in sofa beds, oak furniture, an 8-person dining table, and two sideboards with glazed and leaded glass. The grand stateroom contained a 3/4 bed, a Pullman bed, two dressing tables, and a bathroom.[4]

In 1918, she was purchased by W. L. Baum of the Chicago Yacht Club and renamed the Whitemarsh.[5] Robert Hosmer Morse of Fairbanks-Morse bought the vessel in 1925 and gave her the name Rosinco. He had the original engine replaced with a Fairbanks-Morse model 35 diesel engine from his own company.

In September 1928, the Rosinco set off for Milwaukee, Wisconsin from Chicago, Illinois.[6] On the 18th of September, Robert Hosmer Morse left Milwaukee to visit the Fairbanks-Morse plant in Beloit, Wisconsin and the Rosinco was to return to Chicago. In the early morning hours of the 19th, the Rosinco reportedly struck a raft of sawed wooden beams that ruptured the hull and began sinking rapidly.[7] While all humans aboard survived, the ship's mascot, a canary, did not.[4]

The Rosinco sits upright on the bottom of Lake Michigan, 190 feet beneath the surface, embedded in the lake bed, well-preserved in the cold freshwater.[4] Some artifacts have been removed by divers, and the wreck has been snagged by fishnets, but it remains largely intact.[8] The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association has been researching the shipwreck since 1998.[9] The Rosinco is held in public trust by the State of Wisconsin and is managed by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.[10]