Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve is a United States National Marine Sanctuary on Lake Huron's Thunder Bay, within the northeastern region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwrecks ranging from nineteenth-century wooden side-wheelers to twentieth-century steel-hulled steamers. [1] Seven of the wrecks are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
| Ship | Ship type | Build date | Sunk date | Depth | Notes | Coordinates | NRHP status | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | Wooden paddle steamer | 1846 | 1853 | 5 feet (1.5 m) | On November 26, 1853 while carrying 200 passengers and various supplies, the Albany went aground near Presque Isle, Michigan, and was destroyed by a storm the next day. [2] [3] | 45°19′24″N83°27′30″W / 45.323267°N 83.458467°W | Not listed |  |
| Alvin Buckingham | Wooden schooner | 1853 | 1870 | 8 feet (2.4 m) | On October 19, 1870 the Alvin Buckingham started to leak off Black River Island. Her crew ended up beaching her in shallow water, where she filled with water and sank. [4] [5] | 44°50′28″N83°17′07″W / 44.840983°N 83.285383°W | Not listed |  |
| American Union | Wooden schooner | 1862 | 1894 | 10 feet (3.0 m) | On May 6, 1894 the American Union ran aground in a storm near Presque Isle, Michigan. [6] [7] | 45°21′25″N83°35′22″W / 45.356867°N 83.589467°W | Not listed |  |
| Barge No.1 | Wooden barge | 1895 | 1918 | 42 feet (13 m) | On November 8, 1918 Barge No.1 ran aground on a reef at the southern point of Thunder Bay in an autumn storm and quickly broke up. [8] [9] | 45°00′55″N83°18′14″W / 45.015317°N 83.303967°W | Not listed |  |
| Barge No.12 | Steel barge | 1897 | 1975 | 40 feet (12 m) | On July 8, 1975 Barge No.12 sank due to unknown reasons off Presque Isle, Michigan. [10] [11] | 45°08′12″N83°09′33″W / 45.13655°N 83.159233°W | Not listed |  |
| Bay City | Wooden schooner | 1857 | 1902 | 11 feet (3.4 m) | On November 29, 1902 the Bay City was driven against a pier in Alpena, Michigan and abandoned. [12] [13] | 45°03′22″N83°25′36″W / 45.056139°N 83.426750°W | Not listed |  |
| Benjamin Franklin | Wooden paddle steamer | 1842 | 1850 | 55 feet (17 m) | On October 8, 1850 the Benjamin Franklin went aground on Thunder Bay Island and sank. [14] [15] | 45°01′56″N83°11′32″W / 45.032233°N 83.19215°W | Not listed |  |
| B.W. Blanchard | Wooden steamer | 1870 | 1904 | 9 feet (2.7 m) | On November 29, 1904 the B.W. Blanchard ran aground on North Point Reef with the schooners John T. Johnson and the John Kilderhouse; the former of which was also lost. [16] [17] | 45°01′16″N83°15′46″W / 45.021183°N 83.262717°W | Not listed |  |
| Choctaw | Steel semi-whaleback ship | 1892 | 1915 | 300 feet (91 m) | On July 11, 1915 the Choctaw was bound from Cleveland, Ohio for Marquette, Michigan with a cargo of coal. At around 5:30 a.m. the Canadian steamer Wahcondah rammed the Choctaw on her port side. She eventually rolled over, and sank. [18] [19] | 45°32′02″N83°30′33″W / 45.534010°N 83.509300°W | Listed |  |
| City of Alpena | Wooden tug | 1874 | 1880 | 9 feet (2.7 m) | On August 9, 1880 the City of Alpena caught fire and sank near Black River, Michigan. [20] [21] | 44°47′16″N83°17′40″W / 44.7878°N 83.2944°W | Not listed |  |
| Congress | Wooden steamer | 1861 | 1868 | 17 feet (5.2 m) | On October 22, 1868 while bound for Chicago, Illinois with a cargo of salt, apples and railroad iron, when she stranded and burned near North Point. [22] [23] | 45°00′52″N83°15′33″W / 45.014459°N 83.259048°W | Not listed |  |
| Cornelia B. Windiate | Wooden schooner | 1874 | 1875 | 180 feet (55 m) | In November 1875 the Cornelia B. Windiate was bound from Milwaukee, Wisconsin for Buffalo, New York with a cargo of corn, when she disappeared with all hands off Presque Isle, Michigan. [24] [25] | 45°19′32″N83°13′06″W / 45.325433°N 83.218433°W | Not listed |  |
| Corsair | Wooden schooner | 1866 | 1872 | 182 feet (55 m) | On September 29, 1872 the Corsair sank with the loss of five lives off Harrisville, Michigan. [26] [27] | 44°46′55″N83°07′26″W / 44.782033°N 83.123767°W | Not listed |  |
| Corsican | Wooden schooner | 1862 | 1893 | 160 feet (49 m) | On June 2, 1893 the Corsican was rammed and sunk by the steamer Corsica off Thunder Bay. [28] [29] | 44°54′46″N83°03′18″W / 44.912667°N 83.055°W | Not listed |  |
| Defiance | Wooden schooner | 1848 | 1854 | 185 feet (56 m) | On October 20, 1854 the Defiange was bound from Chicago, Illinois for Detroit, Michigan with a cargo of grain, when she was rammed and sunk by the schooner John J. Audubon, which also sank. [30] [31] | 45°14′03″N83°16′42″W / 45.2343°N 83.27845°W | Not listed |  |
| Detroit | Wooden steamer | 1859 | 1872 | 10 feet (3.0 m) | On September 29, 1872 the Detroit was driven ashore on the coast of Lake Huron near Greenbush, Michigan, with a cargo of lumber. A few weeks later during salvage operations, one of the chains used to lift the Detroit cut her in half, causing her to sink. [32] [33] | 44°35′10″N83°18′41″W / 44.586183°N 83.311433°W | Not listed |  |
| D. M. Wilson | Wooden bulk freighter | 1873 | 1894 | 40 feet (12 m) | On October 27, 1894 while heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a load of coal, the D. M. Wilson sprang a leak and started to sink. The steamers SS Hudson (1888) and Samuel Mitchell took her in tow, but she sank off Thunder Bay Island. [34] [35] | 45°03′55″N83°10′56″W / 45.065333°N 83.182133°W | Not listed |  |
| D.R. Hanna | Steel bulk freighter | 1906 | 1919 | 135 feet (41 m) | On May 16, 1919 the D.R. Hanna was bound from Duluth, Minnesota for Buffalo, New York with a cargo of wheat, when she was rammed by the freighter Quincy A. Shaw. She eventually rolled over and sank. [36] [37] | 45°05′03″N83°05′12″W / 45.084167°N 83.08655°W | Not listed |  |
| Dump scow | Wooden scow | Unknown | Circa 1930 | 130 feet (40 m) | Unidentified wooden scow believed to have been abandoned and scuttled circa 1930. [38] | 45°12′46″N83°17′58″W / 45.212667°N 83.299567°W | Not listed |  |
| Duncan City | Wooden tug | 1883 | Circa 1923 | 15 feet (4.6 m) | The Duncan City was abandoned and scuttled circa 1923. She was listed as abandoned in 1927. [39] [40] | 45°24′47″N83°45′44″W / 45.413117°N 83.762217°W | Not listed |  |
| E.B. Allen | Wooden schooner | 1864 | 1874 | 100 feet (30 m) | On November 20, 1874 the E.B. Allen was bound for Buffalo, New York with a cargo of grain when she was rammed and sunk by the bark Newsboy. [41] [42] | 45°00′59″N83°09′54″W / 45.016267°N 83.164983°W | Not listed |  |
| Egyptian | Wooden bulk freighter | 1873 | 1897 | 230 feet (70 m) | On December 1, 1897 the Egyptian was bound from Cleveland, Ohio for Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a cargo of coal when she caught fire and sank off Black River, Michigan. [43] [44] | 44°46′57″N83°11′24″W / 44.782539°N 83.190078°W | Not listed |  |
| Empire State | Wooden brigantine | 1862 | 1877 | 12 feet (3.7 m) | On November 8, 1877 the Empire State was bound from Marquette, Michigan for Cleveland, Ohio with a cargo of iron ore when she ran aground on North Point Reef. [45] [46] | 45°00′51″N83°15′23″W / 45.014217°N 83.256283°W | Not listed |  |
| Etruria | Steel bulk freighter | 1902 | 1905 | 310 feet (94 m) | On June 18, 1905 the Etruria was bound from Toledo, Ohio for Superior, Wisconsin with a cargo of coal when she was rammed by the downbound freighter Amasa Stone. The Etruria eventually rolled over and sank. [47] [48] [49] | 45°28′59″N83°28′25″W / 45.483°N 83.473683°W | Not listed |  |
| Florida | Wooden package freighter | 1889 | 1897 | 206 feet (63 m) | On May 21, 1897 the Florida was sailing off Presque Isle, Michigan with a cargo of flour, barrels of whiskey, syrup, and various manufactured goods, when she was rammed and sunk by the freighter George W. Roby. [50] [51] | 45°17′47″N83°17′01″W / 45.29635°N 83.283517°W | Not listed |  |
| F.T. Barney | Wooden schooner | 1856 | 1868 | 160 feet (49 m) | On October 23, 1868 the F.T. Barney was bound from Cleveland, Ohio for Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a cargo of coal when she was rammed and sunk by the schooner T.J. Bronson. [52] [53] | 45°29′09″N83°50′33″W / 45.485833°N 83.8425°W | Listed |  |
| Galena | Wooden steamer | 1857 | 1872 | 16 feet (4.9 m) | On September 24, 1872 while loaded with a cargo of lumber, the Galena ran hard aground on North Point Reef, eventually going to pieces. [54] [55] | 45°00′28″N83°14′59″W / 45.007667°N 83.249833°W | Not listed |  |
| Grecian | Steel bulk freighter | 1891 | 1906 | 100 feet (30 m) | On June 7, 1906 the Grecian struck a rock near DeTour Village, Michigan in the St. Marys River and sank. She was eventually refloated and taken in tow of the freighter Sir Henry Bessemer, which would take her to Detroit, Michigan for repairs. On June 15, 1906 while off Thunder Bay Island the Grecian unexpectedly filled with water and sank. [56] [57] | 44°58′07″N83°12′03″W / 44.968611°N 83.200833°W | Listed |  |
| Haltiner barge | Wooden barge | Unknown | Circa 1929 | 13 feet (4.0 m) | Unidentified wooden derrick barge believed to have sunk circa 1929. [58] | 45°02′05″N83°19′36″W / 45.03485°N 83.326583°W | Not listed |  |
| Harvey Bissell | Wooden schooner barge | 1866 | 1905 | 15 feet (4.6 m) | On November 24, 1905 the empty Harvey Bissell ran aground between Presque Isle, Michigan and Thunder Bay Island. Three weeks later, she was raised and towed to Alpena, Michigan where she was dismantled and scuttled. [59] [60] [61] | 45°03′17″N83°25′36″W / 45.054783°N 83.426717°W | Not listed |  |
| Heart Failure | Wooden dredge | Unknown | Before 1910 | 18 feet (5.5 m) | Wooden dredge believed to have been abandoned sometime before 1910. [62] | 45°03′44″N83°22′39″W / 45.0621°N 83.37755°W | Not listed |  |
| Ironton | Schooner barge | Unknown | 1894 | On September 26, 1894, Ironton was under tow in ballast along with the schooner barge Moonlight( United States), also in ballast, by the steamer Charles J. Kershaw on a voyage from Ashtabula, Ohio, to Marquette, Michigan, when Charles J. Kershaw′s steam engine broke down in Lake Huron off the coast of Michigan a few miles north of New Presque Isle Light. With a strong south wind pushing the two schooner barges toward Charles J. Kershaw, Moonlight′s crew cut Ironton′s tow line to free the two schooner barges from the steamer and prevent a collision. Ironton drifted into the path of the steamer Ohio, which collided with Ironton head-on and sank quickly. Ironton then drifted out of sight of ships rescuing Ohio′s crew and sank an hour after the collision. Her crew of seven tried to abandon ship in her yawl, but the yawl remained tied to Ironton, which pulled the yawl to the bottom when she sank. Ironton′s captain and four other crewmen drowned, leaving two survivors clinging to wreckage. The steamer Charles Hebard( United States) rescued the two men a few hours later. [63] | Not listed | |||
| Isaac M. Scott | Steel bulk freighter | 1909 | 1913 | 175 feet (53 m) | On November 11, 1913 the Isaac M. Scott was bound from Cleveland, Ohio for Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a cargo of coal, when she encountered the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. When she was sailing off Thunder Bay Island, the Scott capsized and sank with the loss of all her crew. [64] [65] [66] | 45°03′55″N83°02′21″W / 45.065333°N 83.039217°W | Not listed |  |
| Ishpeming | Wooden schooner | 1872 | 1903 | 12 feet (3.7 m) | On November 29, 1903 while loaded with a cargo of coal, the Ishpeming was driven ashore on Black River Island, where she broke up. [67] [68] | 44°48′35″N83°16′39″W / 44.809817°N 83.2775°W | Not listed |  |
| James Davidson | Wooden bulk freighter | 1874 | 1883 | 35 feet (11 m) | On October 4, 1883 the James Davidson was bound from Buffalo, New York for Duluth, Minnesota with a cargo of coal when she ran aground on the southern tip of Thunder Bay Island, eventually breaking up. [69] [70] | 45°01′57″N83°11′34″W / 45.0324°N 83.192717°W | Not listed |  |
| James H. Hall | Wooden schooner | 1885 | 1916 | 6 feet (1.8 m) | On November 6, 1916 while loaded with a cargo of lumber the James H. Hall tried to enter the Thunder Bay River, but she accidentally swerved, hit a pier and sank. [71] [72] | 45°03′27″N83°25′46″W / 45.0574°N 83.4294°W | Not listed |  |
| John F. Warner | Wooden schooner | 1855 | 1890 | 9 feet (2.7 m) | On October 13, 1890 the John F. Warner was driven ashore near Alpena, Michigan, where she broke in half and sank. [73] [74] | 45°03′03″N83°26′08″W / 45.050833°N 83.435467°W | Not listed |  |
| John Shaw | Wooden schooner | 1884 | 1894 | 128 feet (39 m) | On November 13, 1894 the John Shaw was heading to Chicago, Illinois with a cargo of coal, when she sank in a snowstorm off Harrisville, Michigan. [75] [76] | 44°37′00″N83°08′00″W / 44.616667°N 83.133333°W | Not Listed |  |
| John T. Johnson | Wooden schooner barge | 1873 | 1904 | 7 feet (2.1 m) | On November 29, 1904 the John T. Johnson ran aground on North Point Reef, while being towed by the steamer B.W. Blanchard, and being followed by the schooner John Kilderhouse, the latter of which was recovered. [77] [78] | 45°01′18″N83°15′43″W / 45.02165°N 83.262017°W | Not listed |  |
| John J. Audubon | Wooden schooner | 1854 | 1854 | 170 feet (52 m) | On October 21, 1854 while loaded with a cargo of railroad iron, the Audubon rammed the upbound schooner Defiance. Both the Defiance and the Audubon sank. [79] [80] | 45°17′20″N83°20′21″W / 45.28885°N 83.339183°W | Not listed |  |
| Joseph S. Fay | Wooden bulk freighter | 1871 | 1905 | 17 feet (5.2 m) | On October 19, 1905 the Joseph S. Fay was bound from Escanaba, Michigan for Ashtabula, Ohio with a cargo of iron ore, when she ran aground near Forty Mile Point Light. [81] [82] | 45°29′19″N83°54′36″W / 45.488611°N 83.91°W | Listed |  |
| Knight Templar | Wooden schooner barge | 1865 | 1903 | 5 feet (1.5 m) | The Knight Templar was abandoned and scuttled on July 25, 1903. [83] [84] | 45°03′00″N83°22′00″W / 45.05°N 83.366667°W | Not listed |  |
| Kyle Spangler | Wooden schooner | 1856 | 1860 | 180 feet (55 m) | On November 7, 1860 while upbound with a cargo of corn, the Kyle Spangler was rammed and sunk by the downbound schooner Racine. [85] [86] | 45°23′01″N83°26′07″W / 45.383611°N 83.435278°W | Listed |  |
| Light Guard | Wooden schooner barge | 1866 | 1903 | 7 feet (2.1 m) | The Light Guard was abandoned and scuttled on July 22, 1903. [83] [87] | 45°03′00″N83°23′00″W / 45.05°N 83.383333°W | Not listed |  |
| Loretta | Wooden steam barge | 1892 | 1896 | 7 feet (2.1 m) | On October 7, 1896 while loaded with a cargo of chains, the Loretta caught fire and was towed out into the lake where she sank. [88] [89] | 44°48′54″N83°16′57″W / 44.81505°N 83.282583°W | Not listed |  |
| Lucinda Van Valkenburg | Wooden schooner | 1862 | 1887 | 60 feet (18 m) | On May 31, 1887 while laden with coal, the Lucinda Van Valkenburg was rammed and sunk by the steamer Lehigh north of Thunder Bay Island. [90] [91] | 45°03′23″N83°10′11″W / 45.056333°N 83.169667°W | Not listed |  |
| Maid of the Mist | Wooden schooner | 1863 | 1878 | 7 feet (2.1 m) | On September 25, 1878 the Maid of the Mist was caught in a gale, grounded, broke in half and sank. [92] [93] | 45°06′58″N83°19′03″W / 45.116183°N 83.3174°W | Not listed |  |
| Marine City | Wooden paddle steamer | 1866 | 1880 | 5 feet (1.5 m) | On August 29, 1880 while downbound carrying passengers and a cargo of shingles and fish, the Marine City caught fire and sank, killing 9 people. [94] [95] [96] | 44°46′14″N83°17′22″W / 44.770617°N 83.289433°W | Not listed |  |
| Messenger | Wooden steam barge | 1866 | 1890 | 194 feet (59 m) | On November 12, 1890 the Messenger caught fire in Rogers City, Michigan; she was then towed out into the lake where she sank. [97] [98] [99] | 45°29′00″N83°51′00″W / 45.483333°N 83.85°W | Not listed |  |
| M.F. Merrick | Wooden schooner | 1863 | 1889 | 310 feet (94 m) | On May 17, 1889 while loaded with a cargo of sand, the M.F. Merrick was rammed and sunk off Presque Isle, Michigan by the steamer R.P. Ranney. [100] [101] | 45°28′14″N83°26′47″W / 45.4705°N 83.44625°W | Not listed |  |
| Monohansett | Wooden steam barge | 1872 | 1907 | 18 feet (5.5 m) | On November 23, 1907 while loaded with a cargo of coal, the Monohansett caught fire, burned to the waterline and sank south of Thunder Bay Island. [102] [103] [104] | 45°02′00″N83°11′59″W / 45.033267°N 83.1998°W | Not listed |  |
| Montana | Wooden steam barge | 1872 | 1914 | 63 feet (19 m) | On September 6, 1914 the Montana was heading from Detroit, Michigan to Georgian Bay to load lumber, when she caught fire, burned to the waterline and sank near North Point. [105] [106] [107] | 44°59′02″N83°16′01″W / 44.98375°N 83.266883°W | Not listed |  |
| Monrovia | Steel ocean freighter | 1943 | 1959 | 140 feet (43 m) | On June 25, 1959 the Monrovia was on her way to Chicago, Illinois with a cargo of steel, when she was rammed and sunk by the freighter Royalton. [108] [109] | 44°35′25″N82°33′12″W / 44.590278°N 82.553333°W | Not listed |  |
| Newell A. Eddy | Wooden schooner barge | 1890 | 1893 | 168 feet (51 m) | On April 22, 1893 the Newell A. Eddy was bound from Buffalo, New York for Chicago, Illinois with a cargo of wheat, when she encountered a storm and sank with all hands. [110] [111] | 45°46′53″N84°13′49″W / 45.781417°N 84.230283°W | Not listed |  |
| New Orleans | Wooden paddle steamer | 1838 | 1849 | 15 feet (4.6 m) | On June 14, 1849 while upbound, the New Orleans ran aground on a reef west of Thunder Bay Island. [112] [113] | 45°02′35″N83°14′26″W / 45.042983°N 83.240417°W | Not listed |  |
| New Orleans | Wooden bulk freighter | 1885 | 1906 | 145 feet (44 m) | On June 30, 1906 the New Orleans was rammed and sunk by the steamer William R. Linn north of Thunder Bay Island. [114] [115] | 45°10′03″N83°13′03″W / 45.16755°N 83.217383°W | Not listed |  |
| Nordmeer | Steel ocean freighter | 1954 | 1966 | 40 feet (12 m) | On November 19, 1966 the Nordmeer ran aground 7 miles northeast of Thunder Bay Island, eventually going to pieces. [116] | 45°08′10″N83°09′35″W / 45.136017°N 83.159767°W | Not listed |  |
| Norman | Steel bulk freighter | 1890 | 1895 | 210 feet (64 m) | On May 30, 1895 while on her way to Escanaba, Michigan to load iron ore, the Norman was rammed and sunk by the steamer Jack. Five people died. [117] [118] | 45°18′42″N83°16′44″W / 45.311667°N 83.278889°W | Listed |  |
| Northern Light | Wooden barge | 1858 | 1881 | 2 feet (0.61 m) | In August 1881 the Northern Light stranded near Harrisville, Michigan, eventually going to pieces. [119] [120] | 44°39′37″N83°17′13″W / 44.660267°N 83.286817°W | Not listed |  |
| Northwestern | Wooden brig | 1847 | 1850 | 135 feet (41 m) | On September 30, 1850, while laden with a cargo of salt, the Northwestern was rammed and sunk by the steamer Monticello. [121] [122] | 45°26′53″N83°41′49″W / 45.448083°N 83.69695°W | Not listed |  |
| O. E. Parks | Wooden steam barge | 1891 | 1929 | 62 feet (19 m) | On May 3, 1929 while bound from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for Alpena, Michigan with a cargo of pulpwood, the O.E. Parks encountered heavy seas and snow. She started taking on water and eventually sank. [123] [124] | 45°03′07″N83°10′32″W / 45.0519°N 83.17545°W | Not listed |  |
| Ogarita | Wooden schooner barge | 1864 | 1905 | 30 feet (9.1 m) | On October 25, 1905 the Ogarita caught fire and sank north of Thunder Bay Island. [125] [126] | 45°06′20″N83°13′05″W / 45.105433°N 83.21795°W | Not listed |  |
| Ohio | Wooden bulk freighter | 1875 | 1894 | 300 feet (91 m) | On September 26, 1894 while bound from Duluth, Minnesota for Ogdensburg, New York with a cargo of corn, when she was rammed and sunk by the schooner Ironton, which also sank. [63] [127] | 45°29′03″N83°29′03″W / 45.484152°N 83.484199°W | Not listed |  |
| Oscar T. Flint | Wooden steam barge | 1889 | 1909 | 30 feet (9.1 m) | On November 25, 1909 the Oscar T. Flint caught fire, burned to the waterline and sank east of Thunder Bay River. [128] [129] | 45°01′34″N83°20′51″W / 45.026133°N 83.347383°W | Not listed |  |
| Persian | Wooden schooner | 1855 | 1868 | 168 feet (51 m) | On September 16, 1868 the Persian was upbound with a cargo of wheat, when she was hit by the schooner E. B. Allen, which tried to pass her. The captain of the E. B. Allen reported seeing the Persian head for land. She eventually sank, killing all on board. [130] [131] | 45°41′58″N84°09′10″W / 45.69935°N 84.1529°W | Not listed |  |
| Pewabic | Wooden steamer | 1863 | 1865 | 182 feet (55 m) | On August 9, 1865 the Pewabic was bound from Houghton, Michigan for Cleveland, Ohio with a cargo of iron ore, copper and passengers when she was rammed and sunk by her sister ship, the Meteor. The Pewabic eventually sank with the loss of about 125 lives. [132] [133] [134] [135] | 44°57′53″N83°06′14″W / 44.964722°N 83.103889°W | Listed |  |
| Portland | Wooden schooner | 1863 | 1877 | 6 feet (1.8 m) | The Portland ran aground on October 13, 1877 near Presque Isle, Michigan, and was destroyed by a storm shortly afterwards. [136] [137] | 45°14′56″N83°24′27″W / 45.248817°N 83.4075°W | Not listed |  |
| Portsmouth | Wooden steamer | 1853 | 1867 | 8 feet (2.4 m) | On November 15, 1867 the Portsmouth was bound from Marquette, Michigan for Buffalo, New York with a load of pig iron, when she ran aground on Middle Island and broke up. [138] [139] | 45°11′49″N83°20′08″W / 45.197056°N 83.335556°W | Not listed |  |
| Racer | Wooden schooner | 1856 | 1869 | 11 feet (3.4 m) | On November 17, 1869 while downbound from Marquette, Michigan with a load of iron ore, the Racer went aground southwest of Cheboygan, Michigan, eventually breaking up. [140] [141] | 45°34′54″N84°08′55″W / 45.581667°N 84.14865°W | Not listed |  |
| Reindeer | Wooden schooner | 1860 | 1895 | 16 feet (4.9 m) | On October 6, 1895 the Reindeer went ashore near Rogers City, Michigan, eventually breaking up. [142] | 45°24′37″N83°45′59″W / 45.410333°N 83.766433°W | Not listed |  |
| Shamrock | Wooden steam barge | 1875 | 1905 | 11 feet (3.4 m) | On June 24, 1905 the Shamrock became waterlogged, and was towed to and beached in Black River, Michigan. She was later towed to Alpena, Michigan where she was abandoned and scuttled. [143] [144] | 45°03′05″N83°26′03″W / 45.051283°N 83.4342°W | Not listed |  |
| S.H. Lathrop | Wooden schooner | 1856 | 1902 | 3 feet (0.91 m) | The S.H. Lathrop was abandoned and scuttled near Alpena, Michigan on May 14, 1902. [83] [145] | 45°04′25″N83°22′23″W / 45.073684°N 83.373175°W | Not listed |  |
| Spud barge | Wooden barge | Unknown | Circa 1937 | 1 foot (0.30 m) | Unidentified wooden barge abandoned sometime in the late 1930s. [146] | 45°02′12″N83°16′04″W / 45.036567°N 83.267783°W | Not listed |  |
| Steel barge | Steel barge | Unknown | Unknown | 92 feet (28 m) | Unidentified steel barge, believed to have foundered sometime in the mid 20th century. [147] | 44°58′35″N83°13′16″W / 44.976267°N 83.2212°W | Not listed |  |
| Typo | Wooden schooner | 1873 | 1899 | 195 feet (59 m) | On October 14, 1899 while loaded with a cargo of coal, the Typo was rammed and sunk by the steamer W.P. Ketcham, eventually sinking with the loss of 5 lives. [148] [149] | 45°17′29″N83°18′57″W / 45.29125°N 83.31585°W | Not listed |  |
| Viator | Steel ocean freighter | 1904 | 1935 | 188 feet (57 m) | On October 31, 1935 the Viator was rammed and sunk by the Ormindale off Thunder Bay Island. [150] | 44°59′29″N83°02′14″W / 44.991333°N 83.03715°W | Not listed |  |
| W.C. Franz | Steel bulk freighter | 1901 | 1934 | 230 feet (70 m) | On November 21, 1934 the W.C. Franz was rammed in a heavy fog by the freighter Edward E. Loomis. She sank with the loss of 4 lives. [151] [152] [153] | 44°38′53″N82°54′24″W / 44.647917°N 82.906533°W | Not listed |  |
| W.G. Mason | Wooden tug | 1898 | 1926 | 13 feet (4.0 m) | The W.G. Mason was dismantled, abandoned and scuttled near Rogers City, Michigan in 1926. [154] [155] | 45°24′38″N83°44′50″W / 45.41065°N 83.747217°W | Not listed |  |
| W.H. Gilbert | Steel bulk freighter | 1892 | 1914 | 255 feet (78 m) | On May 22, 1914 while heading to Green Bay, Wisconsin with a cargo of coal, the W.H. Gilbert was rammed and sunk by the freighter Caldera. [156] [157] | 44°50′12″N82°58′43″W / 44.836583°N 82.9787°W | Not listed |  |
| William Maxwell | Wooden fish tug | 1883 | 1908 | 12 feet (3.7 m) | On September 19, 1908 the William Maxwell went aground and became a total loss on a reef near Thunder Bay Island. [158] [159] | 45°01′59″N83°11′30″W / 45.033167°N 83.19155°W | Not listed |  |
| William P. Rend | Wooden barge | 1888 | 1917 | 17 feet (5.2 m) | On September 22, 1917 the William P. Rend foundered off Alpena, Michigan with the loss of no lives. [160] [161] | 45°03′45″N83°23′33″W / 45.062367°N 83.392583°W | Not listed |  |
| William H. Rounds | Wooden schooner | 1875 | 1905 | 11 feet (3.4 m) | On May 2, 1905 the William H. Rounds ran aground near Black River, Michigan with a cargo of coal, becoming a total loss. [162] [163] | 44°50′13″N83°16′56″W / 44.836983°N 83.282317°W | Not listed |  |
| William H. Stevens | Wooden schooner | 1855 | 1863 | 10 feet (3.0 m) | On November 15, 1863 the William H. Stevens ran aground between Bird Island and Scarecrow Island, eventually breaking up. [164] [165] | 44°53′46″N83°19′39″W / 44.896217°N 83.32755°W | Not listed |  |
| W.P. Thew | Wooden steam barge | 1884 | 1909 | 84 feet (26 m) | On June 22, 1909 while traveling light, the W.P. Thew was rammed and sunk by the freighter William Livingston east of Thunder Bay Island. [166] [167] | 45°02′42″N83°09′12″W / 45.045083°N 83.153417°W | Not listed |  |
Alpena is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Alpena County, and is the only city within the county. The population was 10,197 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populated city in the Northern Michigan region, after Traverse City and Cadillac. The city is surrounded by Alpena Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is the core city of the Alpena micropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Alpena County and had a total population of 28,907 at the 2020 census.
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve is a United States National Marine Sanctuary on Lake Huron's Thunder Bay, within the northeastern region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwrecks ranging from nineteenth-century wooden side-wheeler paddle steamers to twentieth-century steel-hulled steamers. There are a great many wrecks in the sanctuary, and their preservation and protection is a concern for United States Government policymakers. The landward boundary of the sanctuary extends from the western boundary of Presque Isle County to the southern boundary of Alcona County. The sanctuary extends east from the lakeshore to the international border. Alpena is the largest city in the area.
The SS Pewabic was a package freighter that served ports on the Upper Great Lakes. She was launched in October 1863, fitted out in the spring of 1864, and was in active service until she sank off Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron on August 9, 1865, due to collision with her sister vessel. There was significant loss of life, with a number variously estimated at 100 or 125 passengers and crew of the stricken vessel going down with the ship. If the higher number is accepted, the loss of life made this disaster, in terms of loss of life from the sinking of a single vessel, the seventh-worst tragedy in the history of the Great Lakes, and the worst ever on Lake Huron. The sunken hull of the package freighter is a feature of the present-day Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
SS Choctaw was a steel-hulled American freighter in service between 1892 and 1915, on the Great Lakes of North America. She was a so-called monitor vessel, containing elements of traditional lake freighters and the whaleback ships designed by Alexander McDougall. Choctaw was built in 1892 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and was originally owned by the Lake Superior Iron Company. She was sold to the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company in 1894 and spent the rest of her working life with it. On her regular route between Detroit, Escanaba, Marquette, and Cleveland, she carried iron ore downbound, and coal upbound.
SS Etruria was a steel hulled lake freighter that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1902 to her sinking in 1905. On June 18, 1905, while sailing upbound on Lake Huron with a cargo of coal, she was rammed and sunk by the freighter Amasa Stone 10 miles (16 km) off Presque Isle Light. For nearly 106 years the location of Etruria's wreck remained unknown, until the spring of 2011 when her wreck was found upside down in 310 feet (94 m) of water.
Middle Island is an island in Lake Huron, located in Alpena Township, Alpena County, Michigan. The island is positioned little over a mile and a half from the community of Lakewood on the mainland. The Middle Island Light, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and built in 1905, lies on the eastern edge of the island. It used to be home to a Life-Saving Station. The light house was automated in 1961, and regular staffing ceased. The island is within the boundaries of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It preserves the lighthouse along with the shipwreck Portsmouth (1867).
SS S.R. Kirby was a composite-hulled bulk carrier that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1890 to her sinking in 1916. On May 8, 1916, while heading across Lake Superior with a cargo of iron ore and the steel barge George E. Hartnell in tow, she ran into a storm and sank with the loss of all but two of her 22-man crew off Eagle Harbor, Michigan. For over 102 years the location of S.R. Kirby's wreck remained unknown, until June 2018, when her wreck was discovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) in 825 feet (251 m) of water, completely broken up.
SS Russia was an iron-hulled American Great Lakes package freighter that sank in a Lake Huron gale on April 30, 1909, near DeTour Village, Michigan, with all 22 of her crew and one passenger surviving.
SS Vernon was a wooden-hulled American passenger and package freighter that sank in a Lake Michigan storm on October 29, 1887, near Two Rivers, Wisconsin, with the loss of between 36 and 50 lives, making her one of the deadliest shipwrecks ever to have occurred in Wisconsin. Only one of the people on board survived.
Robert C. Pringle, originally named Chequamegon, was a wooden-hulled American tugboat that sank without loss of life on Lake Michigan, near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on June 19, 1922, after striking an obstruction.
115 was an American whaleback barge in service between 1891 and 1899. She was built between May and August 1891, in Superior, Wisconsin by Alexander McDougall's American Steel Barge Company, for the "McDougall fleet", based in Buffalo, New York. She was one of a class of distinctive, experimental ship designed and built by McDougall. The whalebacks were designed to be more stable in high seas. They had rounded decks, and lacked the normal straight sides seen on traditional lake freighters. 115 entered service on August 25, hauling iron ore from Superior.
129 was an American whaleback barge in service between 1893 and 1902. She was built between December 1892 and May 1893, in Superior, Wisconsin,, by Alexander McDougall's American Steel Barge Company, for McDougall's fleet of the same name, based in Buffalo, New York. She was one of a class of distinctive and experimental ships designed and built by McDougall. The whalebacks were designed to be more stable in high seas. They had rounded decks, and lacked the normal straight sides seen on traditional lake freighters. 129 entered service on May 22, hauling wheat from Superior. She was sold to the Bessemer Steamship Company of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1900. In 1901, she became owned by the Pittsburgh Steamship Company of Duluth, Minnesota, when the Bessemer fleet merged into it.
104 was an American whaleback barge in service between 1890 and 1898. The fourth whaleback constructed, she was built between October 1889 and February 1890, in Duluth, Minnesota by Alexander McDougall's American Steel Barge Company, for McDougall's fleet of the same name, based in Buffalo, New York. She was a whaleback, a class of distinctive, experimental ship designed and built by McDougall. The whalebacks were designed to be more stable in high seas. They had rounded decks, and lacked the normal straight sides seen on traditional lake freighters. 104 entered service on April 21, hauling iron ore from Two Harbors, Minnesota.
