Shipwrecks

March 25, 2024

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association

On the back of today’s local newspaper was a USA Today article on the number of shipwrecks found in Lake Michigan last year.  There are usually two or three shipwrecks found a year, and the record was four in 2016.  The Wisconsin Historical Society said 13 new shipwrecks were discovered in Lake Superior last year.  Tamara Thomsen, maritime archeologist, said the discoveries were a blend of sand movement and awareness of who to contact.  Water levels in the Great lakes fluctuate from year to year, and in lake Michigan the difference between record high and low water levels is more than 6 feet (1.8 m).  As water levels rise the sand bars drift towards land and when they fall, they move farther into the lake, covering and uncovering the shipwrecks.  There are 36 shipwrecks in the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, which covers over 900 miles² (2,331 km²).  The title helps direct resources to facilitate scientific research, tourism, and education.    

When I looked online, I found the Great Lakes have provided transportation for the area’s inhabitants for 1000’s of years.  Vessels from canoes to car ferries and steamers to modern ore boats have sailed these “inland seas”, and unknown numbers remain settled in watery graves at the bottom of the lakes.    An estimated 6,000 vessels were lost on the Great Lakes with approximately 1,500 of these ships located in Michigan waters.  They range from shallow water to the deepest reaches of Michigan’s 38,000 square miles of the Great Lakes bottomlands.  Michigan’s history can be traced by the material records of its shipwrecks.  The shipwrecks are a wood and steel chronicle of the history of naval architecture on the lakes and pilings of thousands of abandoned docks tell of a time when transport by water was as important as by land.  The cold fresh water of the Great Lakes keeps wrecks exceptionally well preserved even after decades underwater.  Skin and scuba divers from across the US come to explore these preserved shipwrecks. 

Lake Michigan is home to countless shipwrecks, and most of them will never be seen by people up close, let alone explored.  There are a few that met their watery graves not too far from the shoreline, and that means you do not need fancy equipment to see some of the state’s water-bound history up close.  An online article in today’s Fox 17 News suggested the shores of Lake Michigan could be an alternative to those of the Florida Coast for Spring Break enthusiasts.  The article highlighted 6 easy to find and explore shipwrecks and provided a nautical map of dozens more.  Not all shipwrecks in Lake Michigan are easy to see, including the steam barge Milwaukee.  The shipwreck’s location was a mystery until The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) found it last summer over 300 feet (91 m) below the surface of Lake Michigan.  A robotic video of the dramatically intact ship is on Facebook – X (formerly Twitter) – Instagram – YouTube.  Enjoy!

THOUGHTS:  Special care must be taken to ensure the shipwrecks remain for generations to come. Protecting underwater cultural resources preserves them as an element of our history and for the enjoyment of generations to come.  Sport divers, dive clubs, and other dive related organizations requested the Michigan legislature to pass a law that preserves and protects these resources.  Part 761, Aboriginal Records and Antiquities, 1994 PA 451 as amended, is administered jointly by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Department of State.  This law “authorizes preserving abandoned property (shipwrecks, etc.) on the bottomlands of the Great Lakes, designating underwater preserves, issuing salvage permits when appropriate, and for fines and penalties for illegally removing, altering, or destroying artifacts.”  The law does not restrict searching for, diving on, or photographing shipwrecks.  To paraphrase on adage, “Take only photographs, leave only air bubbles.”  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.