 | |||||
|
|
Ann Arbor No. 5
N 42 ° 22.760'W 086° 27.427'
WSW
off South Haven harbor The Great Lakes car ferry Ann Arbor No. 5 was built by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, Ohio as hull # 118. She was 360' long with a 56.3' beam and an 18.9' draft. At the time of her launch in November 1910, the Ann Arbor No.5 was the largest ferry on the lakes. It was also the first ever launched with a sea gate; a safety device designed to keep water from flooding in over the low stern. With four tracks and a capacity of 30 railroad cars she was a behemoth.
(Thanks to Bob Vincent of Bay Area Divers in Ohio for the dry dock photos of the Ann Arbor 5) She had two triple expansion engines, 21" + 33" + 52" x a 40" stroke. Steam was provided by four scotch boilers 13'6" x 12' capable of 185 PSI. The engines and boilers were built by Marine Boiler Works of Toledo and generated 3,000 horsepower.
She then was swapped back and forth for a number of years in the federal government's ship exchange program.
The Ann Arbor no. 5 was sold to Bultema Dredge & Dock Company in 1967 for $27,775. She was cut down and used as a temporary break-wall at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant near South Haven from 1967-1969.The AA5 broke up during severe storms over the winter of 1969-1970. According to historical documentation the hull was supposedly clam-shelled and scrapped. But if that was true, then how did a portion of the ship come to rest eight miles off shore in 160 feet of water? After a thorough in vestigation, Michigan Shipwreck research Associates has connected with individuals who owned and operated Bultema Dock and Dredge and learned the truth about the fate of the Ann Arbor No. 5.
Rare view of AA5 being used as break-wall during construction of Palisades Nuclear Power Plant near South Haven in the late 1960s. Photo courtesy Herald Palladium. Bultema’s principals felt that the aft 150 feet of the Ann Arbor was floatable and could be towed intact to the scrap yard, requiring less time and effort than a clamshell operation. Utilizing one of their tug boats, they were able to pull her up from her position as a break wall and float her behind the tug. With a number of pumps aboard this derelict portion of the barge, they were able to keep it afloat as they headed out west of the Power Plant. Soon after turning north on a course for Holland, a small section of the water tight wall started to leak and the marine contractors knew that they would probably lose the vessel. Fighting to keep the last main pump operational, John Bultema II, then only 20 years old and working as a diver for his father’s company, lost the battle to the incoming water.
In May 2005, during the search for Northwest Airlines Flight 2501, MSRA, along with Clive Cussler's NUMA organization, located the wreckage of the Ann Arbor No. 5 sticking out of the bottom of Lake Michigan at a 30 degree angle in 156 feet of water. MSRA and NUMA's Ralph Wilbanks and Steve Howard captured this side scan sonar image clearly showing the railcar tracks on the deck. The severe angle of the wreck is shown by the "shadow" alongside the wreck. The top of the image below is plunged into the bottom of the lake and continues for some distance. The length of the wreck from the clay/sand bottom to the tip of the stern is just over 100 feet.
This wreck was reportedly discovered
in the 1970's by Captain Richard Race during his
search for the remains of Flight 2501. The location was never released
to the public and only one or two others ever knew of the find. MSRA has
completed documentation of the site and has release the location to the
diving public. (See top of page).
The Ann Arbor No. 5 is in deep water -- approximately 163 feet to the bottom -- although her twin propellers, measuring 12' 6" across, and the huge rudder are accessible at about 125 feet. Divers must remember that as they swim forward from the stern, they are also descending rapidly toward the bottom. It is very easy to find oneself in 155 feet of water without realizing it. To order a DVD documentary about the discovery of the Ann Arbor no. 5, please visit the MSRA store and click of "Planes, Trains & Ships" Dive safely! MSRA affiliated Tech Diver Todd White prepares to dive the Ann Arbor no. 5 Other Images
MSRA is partially funded through a grant from
and by private contributions from people like you. Email the Webmaster Copyright 2003-200 8Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates |
For over a half-century, the Ann Arbor
No. 5 worked the Great Lakes until, like all car ferries, she outlived
her usefulness. She was converted to oil in 1964, then sold to Bulk Food
Carriers of San Francisco in 1966. 
Bultema
was plucked off the sinking hulk by a crane just seconds before the
barge rose up stern first and plunged to the bottom of the lake in 160
feet of water. The men aboard the tug watched as the churning and
frothing waters sucked the ship down. Some say they actually heard the
concussion as it hit bottom. It plunged like a spear at the break point
where water flooded in and impaled itself in the bottom where it still
rests precariously over three decades later. Once back at their company
headquarters in Manistee, Michigan, Bultema Jr. reported the loss of the
barge to his father, John Bultema Sr., whose reaction was only relief
that no one had been injured or perished in the accident.
