The Sailing Adventures of Captain Charles A. Braeger and Captain William F. Braeger
The Sailing Adventures of Captain Charles A. Braeger (1891 – 1947)
His Second Home in Bay View (1922-47)
3049A South Wentworth Avenue
(his first home was 109 S. Bay Street for one year only, 1913 (torn down), but he was not a lake captain yet though he was likely working as a fisherman on his father’s fishing boat (name unknown)
His Ships and Sailing Adventures While Living at 3049A S. Wentworth Ave.
Above: the fishing tug Frank Braeger, at least 1931; Sailing adventures while captain: none reported, however, there was a 22 November 1931 feature article in the Milwaukee Journal where a reporter went out with William Braeger as captain on the fishing boat Frank Braeger and provided great detail on the challenges faced by fishing boat captains and crews on the lakes. 27
Photo courtesy the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University.
His Ships and Sailing Adventures Before Bay View
Ships he was crewman aboard (1907-1921) before living in Bay View
During these early years, he (Charles) is recorded as being co-owner (along with his father Frank and uncle Fred Braeger) of five different fishing boats: the Smith Brothers, the Ole aka Paul Jones, the L. A. Schultz, the George W. West, and the Anna. 28 It’s unlike at this early stage Charles was captain yet, and in fact he is only recorded as a “fisherman,” so his father and uncle were probably the captains and he was crew, but on which ones (one or all?) and when is unknown. Sailing adventures while crew: unknown since what ship he was crew aboard from these five and when is not known.
The Sailing Adventures of William F. Braeger (1878-1949)
His First and Only Home in Bay View (1913-41)
3020 South Delaware Avenue
His Ships and Sailing Adventures While Living at 3020 S. Delaware Ave.
Above left: the fishing tug Liberty, 1913-19, 1925-45, owner and captain; Sailing adventures while captain: none reported.
Above center: the fishing tug Grace, 1925-29, owner and captain; Sailing adventures while captain: none reported.
Above right: the fishing tug Frank Braeger, at least 1931; Sailing adventures while captain: none reported, however, there was a 22 November 1931 feature article in the Milwaukee Journal where a reporter went out with William Braeger as captain on the fishing boat Frank Braeger and provided great detail on the challenges faced by fishing boat captains and crews on the lakes. 23
All three photos courtesy the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University.
His Ships and Sailing Adventures Before Bay View
A news article in 1931 reported that William Braeger had captained a total of five different fishing tugs. Three of these are shown above – the Liberty, Grace, and Frank Braeger – while living in Bay View. That would leave two more tugs captained before William Braeger came to Bay View. However, the names of these he captained are unknown. Likely candidates are other Braeger family tugs, owned by his father, uncle and cousin Charles: the Smith Brothers, the Ole aka Paul Jones, the L. A. Schultz, the George W. West, and the Anna. 24
