Ishpeming

A diver swims above a shipwreck
A scuba diver swims alongside the inner hull structure of the sunken wooden schooner Ishpeming.

Vessel Type: Sail: wooden three-masted schooner

GPS Location: N44°48.589' W83°16.650'

Depth: 12 feet

Wreck Length: 157 feet

Beam: 26 feet

Gross Tonnage: 418

Cargo: Coal

Launched: 1872 by James M. Jones in Detroit, Michigan

Wrecked: November 29, 1903

Mooring Buoy Data

Description: The schooner Ishpeming took its name from the Anishinaabe (Ojibway) word meaning “the high sacred place.” Bound for Alpena with coal for a cement company, the schooner ran aground on a reef off Black River near Harrisville, Michigan. Several tugs tried to pull it off, but they could not get near enough due to the shallow water. The schooner was stripped of its sails and rigging.

Today, Ishpeming's lower hull is preserved on the lake bottom. Divers, snorkelers, and paddlers can explore the large centerboard trunk and the ship's mast steps.

Great Lakes Maritime Collection digital archive: http://greatlakeships.org/2900659/data?n=3

360 Virtual Dive:

diver photographing the ishpeming from above

Ishpeming
A diver swims above a shipwreck
Keelson structure, ceiling planks, and double frames are visible as a diver swims over Ishpeming’s flattened hull.
wooden frame of a shipwreck
Wooden frames protrude from the shallow wreckage of the schooner Ishpeming.
A diver swims above a shipwreck
A scuba diver examines the inner hull structure of the sunken wooden schooner Ishpeming.