Herman H. Hettler

   The 200ft long Herman Hettler was a three-masted steam barge with a single deck.  It mostly carried lumber but on occasion carried cargos of coal, grain, and salt.  While attempting to find shelter from a snowstorm, the Herman Hettler piled up on a shoal near Trout point off Grand island on Nov. 23, 1926.  During the night the ship was pounded on the rocky shoal which opened leaks in her hull.  Before a tug could be summoned to pull it off the shoal, another storm hit and demolished much of the vessel.   The Coast Guard dynamited portions of the wreck because it was a hazard to navigation.
    Today the ship's hull and decking lie in 20-30 feet of water.   Large sections can be seen and a cable connects the different sections.  Even though it was dynamited, the sections are very large and easy to see the construction of one of the early wooden steam ships.