Shipwrecks

Together, the shipwrecks of Thunder Bay make up a collection of ship-types that span 200 years of Great Lakes shipping. They also hold the stories of countless sailors and passengers who traveled the freshwater seas. The collection of sanctuary shipwrecks reflects the transition in ship architecture and construction, from wooden schooners to early steel-hulled steamers, as well as types of ships unique to the Great Lakes. Some of their stories are still to be discovered.

Explore Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Wrecks in VR

diver swimming over the wreck of the american union

American Union

When launched in 1862, the three-masted schooner American Union was one of the largest sailing ships to work the Great Lakes…
a diver photographs the propeller of tugboat City of Alpena, a boat can been seen above the diver

City of Alpena

A diver photographs the propeller of tugboat City of Alpena, which burned to the waterline in 1890…
view of the stern of the defiance

Defiance

The shipwreck of the schooner Defiance, from the rear of the ship looking forward. Resting on the bottom of Lake Huron at 185 feet deep…
view of the bow of the defiance

Defiance

The two-masted coasting schooner Defiance is amazingly preserved in the depths of Lake Huron. Pictured here in the front of the ship is its windlass…
diver photographing the ishpeming from above

Ishpeming

A sanctuary archaeologist shoots images for a 3D photo model of Ishpeming, a three-masted schooner barge that became a total loss in 1903 after running aground…
two diver swimming over the deck of the jl shaw

John L. Shaw

The schooner John L. Shaw rests in 128 feet of water near the southern boundaries of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary…
two diver swimming over the deck of the jl shaw

John L. Shaw

Divers inspect the shipwreck of the schooner John L. Shaw…
schooner Kyle Spangler's two masts and deck equipment

Kyle Spangler

Pictured here are the schooner Kyle Spangler's two masts and deck equipment. Imagine all the sounds you would hear on deck as sails were furled…
wreck of the l.m. mason, a buoy line is set near the wreck

L.M. Mason

A favorite shipwreck to visit among snorkelers and kayakers, the remains of schooner L.M. Mason are inside Presque Isle Peninsula's North Bay…
two sampling instruments situated atop large purple bacterial mats

Life in a Freshwater Sinkhole

A few miles from the Lake Huron shoreline is Middle Island…
a dive boat idles over the shallow remains of sidewheel steamer New Orleans

New Orleans

Here, a dive boat idles over the shallow remains of sidewheel steamer New Orleans…
a diver swims over the remains of the steamer pewabic

Pewabic

On August 9, 1865 the steamer Pewabic was headed for Cleveland with a load of passengers, copper, and miscellaneous cargo…
diver photographing the wreck of the wh stevens

William H. Stevens

The shipwreck of the schooner William H. Stevens in 10 feet of water. The ship ran aground near the Lake Huron shore in 1863…
the remains of the w.p thew on the bottom of the lake

W.P. Thew

Unlike many of the intact shipwrecks throughout Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the W.P. Thew shipwreck is broken up across the bottom of Lake Huron…
snorkeler swimming over the wreck of the wh stevens

William H. Rounds

The shipwreck of schooner William H. Rounds rests in 11 feet of water. The ship ran aground in 1905 during a May storm…