Mackinac Straits, Michigan
The Crossroads of Two Lakes: Michigan & Huron
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THE BRIDGE AT MACKINAC (Dr. David B. Steinman)
In the land of Hiawatha, Where the white man gazed with awe At a paradise divided By the straits of Mackinac ...... Fleets of freighters bring their cargoes From the forges and the kilns; Stones and steel � ten thousand barge-loads From the quarries, mines, and mills. ...... There it spans the miles of water, Speeding millions on their way � Bridge of vision, hope and courage, Portal to a brighter day. | |
| Chart Courtesy of NOAA | ||
The Straits of Mackinac, located at the junction of lakes Michigan and Huron, contain a rich selection of shipwrecks in relatively shallow water. (This area is part of the Michigan Underwater Preserve system, and all wrecks are protected and open to diving.) For more information on the shipwreck preserve, visit the official preserve website:
Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck PreserveWooden steamships, such as the Eber Ward (below left) and Minneapolis (below right) sit on the bottom in a remarkable state of preservation, inviting exploration by visiting divers.
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| The Eber Ward's steam engine is in an incredible state of perservation, down to the wooden sheathing still surrounding the cylinders (August 2017) | Divers explore the wreck of the Minneapolis (August 2017) |
The Eber Ward
The Eber Ward is surely one of my favorite wrecks in the Straits Preserve. This imposing wooden steamship sank quickly after running head-on into an ice floe in April 1909. Today she stands upright in 140 feet of water, with her anchors, propeller and rudder still in place. A truly magnificent steam engine stands beneath her uppermost deck.
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| Karen Flynn lights up the prop & rudder beneath the Eber Ward's fantail, towering overhead (June 2018) | The Eber Ward's bow is magnificent, with two anchor styles (w/ Dave Etchison & Mike Powell, August 2017) |
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| One deck down on the Eber Ward a diver can swim the entire interior from fantail to stem; Mike Powell lights up the inside of the bow in the distance (June 2018) | The Eber Ward has an amazing steam engine sitting below the main deck. While relatively small, it is one of the best presevered engines I have seen on a shipwreck (w/ Mike Powell, June 2018) |
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| A mussel-covered bathtub sits on the lake bottom just off the Eber Ward's bow, which looms in the background (June 2018) | |
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| Mike Powell lights up a winch inside the forepeak of the Ward (June 2018) | Dropping through a hatch into the wreck's holds... (w/ Mike Powell, June 2018) |
The huge wreck of the freighter Cedarville
The wreck of the Cedarville, sunk in 1965 due to collision in dense fog, stretches 588 feet across the lake bottom. Her hull is nearly inverted with her deck some 45 degrees from horizontal, starboard side down. She is impressive in many respects: from her sheer and imposing size, to the seemingly endless stretch of open cargo holds, to the massive crane lying alonside the forward hull to the nearly inverted bow and wheelhouse, she is a shipwreck that is difficult to forget.
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| Mike Powell inside the Cedarville's bridge... (August 2017) | The forward mast embedded in the lake bottom (August 2017) |
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| Beneath the Cedarville's inverted hull (June 2018) | Mike Powell photographing the wreck's bridge (June 2018) |
The Minneapolis
The Minneapolis is yet another wooden steamship sunk in the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve. April is a tough month on the lakes, and the Minneapolis met her end early that month during a gale in the year 1894. Today she remains partly intact in approximately 125 feet of water.
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| The Minneapolis' steam engine (August 2017) | The stern of the Minneapolis is collapsing, but the round fantail is still intact, and the four-bladed propeller is still in place (August 2017) | Her separated rudder lies to starboard (August 2017) |
Michigan Lighthouses...
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| With shorelines on four of the Great Lakes, Michigan boasts more lighthouses than any state in the Union--129 by one count. Some are easily accessible, such as Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse (above left) in Mackinaw City, nearly beneath the Mackinac Straits bridge. Others, such as Crisp Point Lighthouse (above right) on Lake Superior in Michigan's UP, are remote and required long drives on dirt roads to get to. (both June 2018) | |
The Maitland and William Young
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| The schooner-barge William Young sank in 1891 in 120 feet of water. Sitting upright, hull mostly intact, deadeyes still in place. Here a diver explores her broken bow (August 2017) | Divers exploring the collision gash on the bark Maitland. A victim of not one, but two successive collsions in 1871, yet another intact sailing ship sitting upright on the lake bottom (August 2017) |
The Sandusky
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| The brig Sandusky foundered in a gale in 1856 in only 85 feet of water. Her hull is intact and upright, but listing to port. Some of the rigging is still in place, including the bowsprit (left w/ Mike Powell). The hallmark of the wreck is the ornate figurehead beneath the bowsprit (upper right). This is actually a well-made replica, placed by divers after the original was removed for preservation. (below right) Dave Etchison scooters over the wreck's stern. (all June 2018) | |
Colonel Ellsworth
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| The Colonel Ellsworth is a small schooner lying in 85 feet of water some 18 miles West of Mackinaw City. The long boat ride apparently makes her an infrequent dive. Sitting upright, her stern is mostly intact (above left, w/ Mike Powell). (above right) a school of whitefish caught crossing over the timbers of her hull. (both June 2018) | |
Cayuga
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| Lying even farther West and into Lake Michigan proper is the small steamer Cayuga. An exceptionally calm day (top) in June allowed us the treat of the long run to the wreck aboard the Rec Diver out of the Straits Scuba Center. Listing to port her little triple-expansion steam engine pokes through her collapsed decking (above left), while the fantail is intact down to the railing circling the stern (above right, both June 2018). | |
Links to dive operators and websites in the Great Lakes region: | ||
Captain Brian Anderson's charter operation | Black Dog Diving Charters | |
Straits Scuba Center in St. Ignace, MI | Straits Scuba Center | |
NOAA's Thunder Bay website | Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary | |
Michigan Underwater Preserves website | Michigan Underwater Preserves | |
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Special thanks to Backscatter, the Premier source for underwater photography and video equipment, for the chance to try out Nauticam's new WACP (Wide Angle Corrector Port) |
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