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Map depicting the side scan sonar tracklines and shipwrecks found in the vicinity of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve. Click image for larger view.
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Shipwreck Inventory
This inventory offers a selection of the shipwrecks that were found during this project. Click any image for larger view.
E.B. Allen
Grecian
D.R. Hanna
Monrovia
Montana
New Orleans
Pewabic
Isaac M. Scott
Viator
Cornelia B. Windiate
| E.B. Allen |
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Date Built
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1864 by H.C. Piersons at Ogdensburg, NY |
| Type |
Wooden schooner
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
150 x 25 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
275 tons
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Historical image unavailable. |
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| Date Lost |
November 18, 1871
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| Depth |
98 ft
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| Condition |
Excellent. The vessel sits on its keel, with a gash from the collision visible on the port side. Hull, railing, flooring intact. Windlass, anchor chains, and rudder in place. Mast broken off. Originally identified as the Corsican when discovered in early 1970s.
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| Cargo |
Grain
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| History |
On November 18, 1871, the E.B. Allen was bound for Buffalo, New York, from Chicago, Illinois, with a load of grain, when it ran into a dense fog. Because of the fog, the ship collided with the barque, Newsboy. The Allen sank quickly, but there was no loss of life. The vessel is mostly intact, including the windlass, chain, and rudder.
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Photo courtesy of the Institute for Great Lakes Research, Bowling Green State University.
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| Grecian |
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Date Built
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1891 by Globe Iron Works at Cleveland, OH |
| Type |
Steel propeller, bulk freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
296.16 x 40.33 x 21.1 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
2,348 tons
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Photo courtesy of the Institute for Great Lakes Research, Bowling Green State University.
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| Date Lost |
June 15, 1906
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| Depth |
110 ft (deck at 70-75 ft)
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| Condition |
Excellent. Broken amidships with forward deck collapsed due to salvage attempts. 3 stern levels intact and penetrable. Engine, boilers, prop intact. Windlass, chain, capstan, and 3 anchors in place. Also many pulleys, side rails, tools, etc. present. Update: Capt. Lee Barnhill of Thunder Bay Divers reports that the Grecian's stern is collapsing.
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| Cargo |
Light
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| History |
The Grecian hauled a variety of cargoes throughout the Great Lakes, but its career was cut short in 1906. When loaded with coal for the fueling station at De Tour, the ship ran aground on a reef near the entrance to the St. Mary’s River. Hasty repairs were made, but while in tow, bound for Detroit, Michigan, the Grecian sank in Thunder Bay on June 15, 1906. The engines, boilers, and propeller are all still present on the wreck.
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| D.R. Hanna |
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Date Built
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1906 by American Ship Building Co. at Lorain, OH |
| Type |
Steel propeller, bulk freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
532 x 56 x 31 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
7,023 tons
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Photo courtesy of the Historical Collection of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University.
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| Date Lost |
May 16, 1919
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| Depth |
131 ft
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| Condition |
Excellent. Resting upside down with single entrance in bow. Wreck located in Oct. 1919 but no salvage ever attempted because of position and depth.
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| Cargo |
Grain
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| History |
Lost on May 16, 1919, the D.R. Hanna was one of the largest vessels lost in the Great Lakes. It was bound for Buffalo, New York, loaded with 375,000 bushels of wheat, when it collided with the steamer Quincy A. Shaw. The crew was rescued by the Shaw. The ship overturned and went down 6 miles east-northeast of Thunder Bay Light. The value of the vessel and cargo was $1,261,300, the largest insurance loss on the Great Lakes at that time.
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| Monrovia |
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Date Built
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1943 in Scotland, renamed several times (last in 1954) |
| Type |
Steel propeller, bulk freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
430 x 45 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
6,700 tons
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Photo courtesy of the Great Lakes Marine Historical Collection, Milwaukee Public Library.
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| Date Lost |
June 25, 1959
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| Depth |
150 ft
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| Location |
Outside of sanctuary boundary.
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| Condition |
Upright, largely intact.
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| Cargo |
Rolled steel and steel plates from Antwerp, Belgium
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| History |
Built as a World War II Liberty ship, this Liberian freighter was lost in Thunder Bay, wrecking on its first trip to the Great Lakes. On June 25, 1959, the Monrovia was hauling a cargo of rolled steel from Antwerp, Belgium, when it ran into fog off Thunder Bay Island. The Royalton, a Canadian vessel, struck the vessel in the dense fog. The Monrovia’s crew quickly sought the safety of lifeboats, and was rescued by the Norman W. Foy, which was sailing five miles away. The Royalton kept its course for repairs to its bow.
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| Montana |
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Date Built
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1872 by Muir and Livingstone (or A. Smith) at Port Huron, MI |
| Type |
Wooden propeller, package freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
236 x 36 x 14 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
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Photo courtesy of the Historical Collection of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University.
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| Date Lost |
September 6, 1914
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| Depth |
66 - 82 ft
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| Condition |
Excellent. Bow section broken off. Engine intact and upright. Boiler, 12' propeller, windlass, anchor chain, capstan, and rudder in place.
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| Cargo |
Stone (lumber?)
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| History |
On September 6, 1914, the Montana caught fire, burned to the waterline, and sank. The bow section has broken off, but the engine remains intact and upright. The ship’s boiler, 12-ft propeller, windlass, anchor chain, capstan, and rudder are still in place.
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| New Orleans |
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Date Built
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1885 by Morley and Hill at Marine City, MI |
| Type |
Wooden propeller, bulk freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
232 x 38 x 14 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
1,457 tons
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Photo courtesy of the Historical Collection of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University.
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| Date Lost |
June 30, 1906
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| Depth |
150-200 ft
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| Condition |
Generally intact but broken in the center and split at the coal bunker.
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| Cargo |
Coal
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| History |
The New Orleans was up bound with coal on June 30, 1906, when the steamer William R. Linn came out of the fog. There was confusion as to which side the vessels should pass, because the Linn was too far west of the correct shipping lane. As a result, they collided. The New Orleans received the worst of the impact. All hands made it to the Linn before the pilothouse blew off and the ship sank. The next day the only thing found was the floating pilothouse.
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| Pewabic |
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Date Built
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1863 by Peck & Marsters at Cleveland, OH |
| Type |
Wooden propeller, passenger and package freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
200.25 x 31 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
738.8 tons
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Drawing courtesy of artist Robert McGreevy.
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| Date Lost |
August 9,1865
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| Depth |
171 ft
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| Condition |
Mostly stripped of cargo and fittings in a long succession of salvage dives since at least 1880. One salvage project in 1897 used dynamite and a diving bell to take thousands of pounds of copper off. Wreck described as pristine in 1917. Current condition unknown.
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| Cargo |
Copper ingots, native copper, passengers
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| History |
The Pewabic was a wooden freight and passenger steamer built in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1863. The vessel was carrying a load of copper ingots when its sister ship, the steamer Meteor, struck it on August 9, 1865, off Thunder Bay Island. The catastrophe killed approximately 125 people out of about 180. Called the treasure ship of the Great Lakes, the Pewabic has been subject to various salvage attempts over the years, resulting in the recovery of several ingots, but several divers have been killed in their endeavor.
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| Isaac M. Scott |
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Date Built
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1909 by American Ship Building Co. at Lorain, OH |
| Type |
Steel propeller, bulk freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
504 x 54 x 30 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
4,840 tons
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Photo courtesy of the Institute for Great Lakes Research, Bowling Green State University.
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| Date Lost |
November 9, 1913
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| Depth |
197 ft
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| Condition |
Discovered in 1976, upside down and half buried in mud.
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| Cargo |
Coal
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| History |
The steel-hulled propeller Isaac M. Scott was “one of the handsomest of the large freighters on the great lakes,” according to the Toledo Blade. The Scott soon made headlines after its launch, when it ran into, and sank, the John B. Cowle on July 12, 1909, killing 14 crewmembers aboard the Cowle. On November 7, 1913, the Great Storm of 1913 hit the Great Lakes. This unprecedented storm of high winds, heavy snow, and bitter cold took the lives of an estimated 235 mariners. The Scott was caught in the “freak of nature” storm that raged for 16 hrs with waves at least 35 ft high; all 28 hands were lost. Response to the storm and the sinking of the Scott resulted in increased efforts by the U.S. Weather Bureau toward better weather forecasting and more rapid communication of storm warnings.
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| Viator |
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Date Built
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1904 at Bodo, Norway |
| Type |
Steel propeller, package freight
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
241 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
619 tons
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Historical image not available
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| Date Lost |
October 31, 1935
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| Depth |
164 ft
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| Condition |
Uncertain
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| Cargo |
Pickled herring, fish products
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| History |
The steel propeller Viator was built in Bodo, Norway. When carrying a load of pickled herring and other fish products on October 31, 1935, it ran into a thick fog off Thunder Bay Island. The Viator collided with the steamer Ormidale and sank.
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| Cornelia B. Windiate |
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Date Built
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Roughly around 1873 or 1874, by Thomas Windiate at Manitowoc, WI |
| Type |
Wooden schooner
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| Dimensions (approx.) |
150 x 25 ft
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| Gross Tonnage |
322 tons
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| Historical image not available. |
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| Date Lost |
December 10, 1875
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| Depth |
197 ft
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Location
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Outside of sanctuary boundary.
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| Condition |
Discovered in 1987 in excellent condition.
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| Cargo |
Wheat
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| History |
Built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1873, the Cornelia B. Windiate was very short-lived. On December 10, 1875, it was carrying a load of wheat bound for Buffalo, New York, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Windiate became trapped in the ice off Middle Island, cut, and sank. For more than 100 years, the ship was thought to be in the Western Straits, because it was not reported to have passed the Straits.
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The Web team gratefully acknowledges this contribution by NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, and the following publications: Divers Guide to Michigan by Steve Harrington; Pewabic by George P. McKay; Michigan History Magazine, vol. 16, #4, 1932; and "Namesakes 1910-1919: Steel Steamers Gone To War" by John O. Greenwood.
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve encourages responsible diving on the shipwrecks. Divers should be aware of the Sanctuary and State of Michigan regulations that prohibit the recovery, alteration, or destruction of underwater cultural resources. Divers may not use grappling hooks or other anchoring devices if a shipwreck site is marked with a mooring buoy. Please contact the sanctuary office at 989-356-8805 if you would like to learn more about diving the wrecks of Thunder Bay.
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