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The Great Lakes run deep with stories, and schooners played a significant role. Not long ago, thousands of schooners plied the Lakes, carrying cargo, passengers and dreams... the dreams of countless souls who spent their lives on our freshwater seas.
Today, the S/V Denis Sullivan celebrates the spirit of adventure exemplified by the tall ships of the past, the brave men and women who sailed them, and their combined contributions to the development of our region.
What is a schooner?
Why did we build a schooner?
Who was Denis Sullivan?
Virtual Tour
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Schooners were developed in the United States in the early 1700s. The word "schooner" may be derived from the term "scoon," an old-fashioned expression meaning "to skip a stone." Built for speed, schooners were used for fishing, trading, blockade running and as naval vessels. In the 1800s, schooners were the cargo vessels of the Great Lakes, much like modern-day semi-trailers. They carried everything from lumber to wheat to coal, and even Christmas trees.
Today, the word "schooner" describes a sailing vessel with two or more masts. Masts are tall poles that carry sails. On a schooner, the second mast back from the bow, also called the main mast, must be as tall or taller than the first or forward mast.
Even if a ship has two or more masts and the tallest is the main mast, that still doesn't guarantee that the ship is a schooner. The final requirement is that the sails have to run from the masts toward the back of the ship (a fore-and-aft rigged ship) not across the deck (a square-rigged ship).
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Today, the sight of the S/V Denis Sullivan sailing into Milwaukee's harbor is considered a spectacle — a rare glimpse of days gone by. Yet it wasn't long ago that schooners like ours were an ordinary feature of Milwaukee's lakefront. As many as 30 per day carried cargo and passengers in and out of Milwaukee's harbor.
Our schooner, the first to be built in Milwaukee in over 100 years, pays homage to these once common "work horses" of the Great Lakes. By building a vessel reminiscent of a 19th century schooner, we not only have an exciting platform for teaching people about freshwater and the Great Lakes, but one that serves as a living reminder of Wisconsin's maritime history.
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The S/V Denis Sullivan was named in honor of a prominent 19th century Great Lakes sailor and businessman, Captain Denis Sullivan. Captain Sullivan's grandson, Jere Sullivan, is living in Milwaukee today and serves on Pier Wisconsin's Board of Directors. You can learn a lot about the history of Milwaukee and sailing on the Great Lakes by hearing the story of Captain Sullivan's life.
Denis Sullivan was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1849. As a child he immigrated with his family to Dunnville, Ontario, near Lake Erie. The Great Lakes captured his imagination and he began sailing when he was just seventeen. In 1873 he settled in Milwaukee, which was then a shipping and shipbuilding center for the Great Lakes. An active sailor, he soon got to know the local shipping companies, and in 1874 was awarded command of the new schooner Moonlight.
Captain Sullivan sailed the Moonlight for eleven years, from 1874 -1885. Under his skillful command the Moonlight gained the reputation of being the region's fastest schooner, the "Queen of the Lakes". Appropriately, the design of our ship was inspired by the Moonlight.
Captain Sullivan's career changed with the shipping industry. After the Moonlight, he became the captain for the steamship Veronica. Later he served as a marine inspector, a vessel manager and a marine insurance broker. Eventually, he formed his own company in Chicago, the Garland Steamship Company and D. Sullivan & Company. By the end of his long career, which began in Milwaukee, Captain Sullivan's expertise made him a valued member of the Chicago Harbor Commission and the Chicago Board of Trade.
Captain Denis Sullivan died in Chicago in 1918. In naming our vessel after him, we honor his memory and the contributions he made to our Great Lakes heritage.
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