Littering the bottom of the Great Lakes are the remains of more than 6,000 vessels lost since the late 1600s, when the first commercial sailing ships began navigating the region. Most were lost during the nineteenth-century heyday of Great Lakes commerce. These vast inland waterways formed a natural transportation system, connecting the growing cities and industries of the Midwest and portions of Canada with markets throughout North America and the world.
CLICK HERE for a menu of maritime losses in the southeast quadrant of Lake Michigan.
Unpredictable weather made the Great Lakes among the most challenging waters in the world. Sudden storms, dense fog, fire, collisions, and mechanical failures claimed thousands of vessels. More than 1,900 are believed to have been lost in Lake Michigan alone, second only to Lake Huron in the number of documented maritime losses. The heavy passenger and cargo traffic serving Chicago, Milwaukee, and communities along the lake, combined with prevailing northwest winds that could build waves across nearly 400 miles of open water, created a dangerous environment for mariners.
Hundreds of vessels, particularly sailing craft that were difficult to maneuver in heavy weather, were driven ashore and destroyed by wind and waves. Many others disappeared in deep water far from shore, leaving little evidence of their final moments. Only a fraction of Lake Michigan’s offshore shipwrecks have been located. Hundreds remain undiscovered, waiting to reveal their stories.
FROM SALVAGE TO EXPLORATION
For decades, the passage of time obscured the locations of many wrecks, but the vessels themselves were rarely forgotten. Following World War II, advances in diving equipment made underwater exploration increasingly accessible. Early recreational explorers sought shipwrecks primarily to recover artifacts, both for personal collections and for commercial sale. Newspapers, magazines, and television chronicled the exploits of these pioneering divers, while the public became fascinated by the artifacts and even portions of wrecks brought to the surface.
The introduction of underwater motion-picture and still photography to recreational diving in the late 1970s transformed shipwreck exploration. Divers could now document their discoveries and share the experience with audiences who would never see a wreck firsthand. Film festivals emerged throughout the Great Lakes, interest in shipwreck hunting expanded, and more wrecks were located and explored. Underwater photography gave the media a powerful new way to tell stories of discovery and adventure.
But as exploration increased, so did concern about what was being lost. Recovering an artifact without documenting its location, relationship to the wreck, or condition can permanently destroy historical information. Objects removed from a site and dispersed into private collections are often separated from the context that gives them meaning.
At the same time, the technology that opened shipwrecks to recreational divers was giving archaeologists and historians new ways to study them in place. Researchers increasingly recognized wrecks as archaeological sites and historical archives rather than simply sources of artifacts. Divers, too, began to recognize that careless practices could damage the very sites they valued.
The Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987 further established a framework for protecting certain abandoned shipwrecks and transferring responsibility for many of them to the states in whose waters they lie. Michigan and other Great Lakes states subsequently developed laws and programs governing the protection, management, and responsible use of underwater cultural resources.
MSRA’S ROLE
The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association was founded in this new era of shipwreck exploration and preservation, when divers, historians, archaeologists, scientists, museums, and the public were increasingly recognizing the importance of protecting the Great Lakes’ maritime heritage.
MSRA brings these interests together. The organization views shipwrecks not simply as recreational dive sites, but as underwater laboratories where historians, archaeologists, engineers, and scientists can investigate the past. A wreck can provide evidence that helps solve the mystery of its sinking, reveal how a vessel was built and operated, and restore the final chapter of a ship’s history.
Every wreck also has a human story. Its remains can illuminate the lives of the people who built, owned, operated, and traveled aboard it, as well as the communities and industries that depended upon Great Lakes transportation.
Through research, exploration, documentation, preservation, and interpretation, MSRA works to ensure that these submerged historic sites are not merely discovered, but understood. By studying shipwrecks in place and sharing what they reveal, MSRA helps preserve the history beneath the Great Lakes for future generations.