What remains today lies in 20 to 40 feet of water. ![]() She burned to the waterline and was later partially salvaged. She reached safe harbor but when she departed the next day, October 26, 1903, her steering failed causing her to strike a reef and a fire broke out. Like many other ships, the 252 foot wooden steamer Manhattan was seeking refuge in October 1903 from a Lake Superior storm. On the inner edge of the shoal where the Hettler struck, her boiler can be found in about 25 feet of water along with parts of the hull and a large debris field with a variety of mechanical parts, tanks, piping and even a bath tub. The wreck now rests broken up in 30 to 40 feet of water. She was lost when she slammed into a rock reef. A severe storm forced the Hettler to seek refuge in Munising Harbor on November 23, 1926. The Hettler was a wooden steamer launched in 1890. At the end of the tunnel, the propeller shaft and massive thrust bearing can be seen. A short distance forward, an enclosed ladder way leads down toward the propeller shaft tunnel. The stern lies on her port side exposing the steamer’s steering quadrant and emergency steering gear. ![]() Huge sections of her hull are visible from the surface on clear days. The remains are in shallow water about 40 feet deep. Launched in 1920, the Kiowa was a steel bulk freight steamer 251 feet long that was driven ashore in a gale on November 30, 1929. Schools of rock bass and other colorful game fish are common. A large cabin trunk, where the cabin blew off while sinking is near the stern. Three large hatches open to the cargo hold and two companionways. The wreck is upright in shallow water and the top deck is reached at just 12 feet. She is popular with sport divers because of her depth and condition. BermudaĪlso known as the Murray Bay wreck, the Bermuda was a 130 foot long wooden schooner that sank in the Bay off Grand Island on October 15, 1870. Open deck hatches afford access to the interior. Exploring divers will find much machinery as well as game fish on the wreck. She rests now in 70 to 105 feet of water, with the deck reached at 80 feet. She was damaged in a collision on Jon Lake Superior and lost while in tow next to Grand Island. This early wooden steam barge launched in 1880 is perhaps the best known shipwreck in the Preserve. Shipwrecks & Dive SitesĪmong the best shipwreck dives in the Alger Underwater Preserve are: Smith Moore More activities and events can be found at the websites for the Munising Visitors Bureau, and Alger County Chamber of Commerce. ![]() Also popular are “glass bottom boat” tours that take tourists on non-diving excursions to see the many remains of ships visible from the surface. There are five waterfalls in the Munising area to visit. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of the most beautiful scenic areas in the country for hiking and backpacking. The Munising area affords many recreational activities that supplement diving. Although the caves are shallow, at water level down to 10 feet, they offer spectacular snorkeling and underwater photography. These caves were formed by wave action hollowing out the sandstone cliffs underwater. Most of the shipwrecks lie in sheltered water.īesides diving shipwrecks, divers can visit sea caves. Several major shipwrecks lying within recreational diving limits are found inside its boundaries.Īll the major shipwrecks are buoyed by the local preserve organization with supplies donated by the Glass Bottom Boat Tours Company. The area stretching from just west of Munising to Au Sable Point and including the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is the home of the Alger Underwater Preserve. The waters off Munising are sheltered by Grand Island and have been the final destination of many ships seeking safe harbor from the fury of the big lake. For ships in trouble on the long southern coast of Lake Superior, harbors of refuge are few.
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