14 Shipwrecks May Be Explored in the Straits of Mackinac

Fourteen shipwrecks in the Straits area are part of the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, spanning 148 square miles. The preserve also includes a rock maze, an unusual rock formation a few hundred yards east of Mackinac Island, which provides photography opportunities for divers.

The following is a list of shipwrecks in the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve:

William H. Barnum

A 218-foot steamer that foundered during an early season storm in 1894. It was loaded with grain from Chicago. It lies in about 70 feet of water upright and intact between Mackinaw City and Cheboygan.

Cayuga

The Cayuga sank in Sturgeon Bay in May 1895 and lies in an upright position. Some areas of the ship are broken up. There is also a salvage barge to the port side of the wreck, about 40 feet away. The wreck is in Lake Michigan, about 3.6 miles southwest of Grays Reef Light, past Waugoshance Point.

Cedarville

The Straits' most recent shipwreck is this 588-foot self-unloading freighter, which was built in 1927 and sank in May 1965, when it was struck by the Norwegian freighter Topdalsfjord. Ten of the 34 men on board were lost. The Cedarville was carrying a load of limestone bound for Gary, Indiana. It lies on its starboard side in 110 feet of water, although its hull is within 35 feet of the water's surface in Lake Huron, just beyond the Mackinac Bridge. The ship's superstructure and cabins lie almost upside down in 75 feet of water.

Eber Ward

The 213-foot steamer was cut by ice and sank in 140 feet of water in April 1909 west of the present-day location of the Mackinac Bridge, between the bridge and St. Helena Island. It is upright and intact. A sunken dump barge lies close by.

Fred McBrier The 161-foot steamer had a wood hull and was built in Bay City in 1881. In October 1890, the ship was struck by the steamer Progress, and quickly sank. There is still a lot of equipment on the wreck, but visibility is limited owing to surrounding silt, which can get kicked up easily. The wreck is in Lake Michigan about nine miles west of Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City.

Maitland

The 137-foot wooden bark boat was built in 1861. She collided with the schooners Mears and Golden Harvest in June 1871 and now lies upright and intact in 84 feet of water near Waugoshance Lighthouse.

Minneapolis

The Minneapolis is a 226-foot combination propeller and threemasted sailing ship that was cut by ice and now lies in 124 feet of water close to the Mackinaw City side in Lake Huron. She is upright, but

broken.

Newell Eddy

The 242-foot schooner barge sank in 1893, three years after it was built. The wreck was found accidentally by students on a research vessel, testing side scan sonar technology. Her name is still visible across the top of the forward capstan. The ship lies upright in 165 feet of water.

Northwest

The 223-foot wood schooner was sunk by ice in April 1898 and now lies in 73 feet of water near the shoreline between Waughoshance Point and Mackinaw City. She is

upright, but collapsed.

Sandusky

The oldest shipwreck known in the Straits of Mackinac, the Sandusky was built in 1848 in Sandusky, Ohio, and sank in a gale in September 1856. She is remarkably preserved and is one of the few wrecks in the Great Lakes that sports a figurehead. She is 110-feet with a square stern and two masts. The wreck lies in 79 feet of water west of the Mackinac Bridge, just north of Mackinaw City's McGulpin Point. She is upright and intact.

Martin Stalker

Built in 1863, this wooden schooner was struck by a tow barge and sank in November 1886. She lies in 85 feet of water close to the Mackinac Bridge and the Cedarville wreck in Lake Huron. Her bow is intact, but the stern is broken.

St. Andrew

The 135-foot wooden schooner sank in June 1878 in 62 feet of water near Point au Sable near Cheboygan. Her bow is intact, but the stern is collapsed.

Uganda

The 291-foot wooden-hulled steamer was cut by ice during an early season trip to Buffalo, New York. The wreck lies in 210 feet of water four miles east of White Shoals light. The shallowest part of the wreck is at 185 feet, which, according to the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, is beyond sport diving limits. This dive should only be attempted by divers with the proper training. Silt and current add to the difficulties of diving this wreck.

William Young

This was the latest wreck to be discovered in the Straits of Mackinac, and was accidentally found by Michigan State Police search and rescue divers during a missing person search east of the Mackinac Bridge in 2002. The schooner barge is 120-feet and sank with 600 tons of coal on board in October 1891.

Information on these shipwrecks was provided by Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve.