Famous Shipwrecks on Lake Michigan

A Spanish galleon filled with gold that sank to the bottom of the Caribbean over 300 years ago was discovered a few years back, but recently underwater vehicles got a much closer look.  Some are calling this the Holy Grail of Shipwrecks.  The treasure discovered in the wreckage has been the subject of many legal battles, due to the fortune on the ship, worth about 17 million by today’s standards.

Lake Michigan shipwrecks, granted don't hold a fortune, but are still fascinating and many are great diving sites.

Here are a few of the more famous shipwrecks on Lake Michigan.

THE LADY ELGIN:  This shipwreck occurred on September 8th, 1860 and resulted in the most open water deaths in the history of the Great Lakes.  The 252 foot wooden hulled steam ship sank, taking some 300 passengers to their death.

THE SS CARL D. BRADLEY:  Between 1927 and 1949  this 639 foot ship was the largest to sail the Great Lakes.  The ship was heading back up to upper Michigan when a storm hit and battered the massive ship and its hull began cracking in two.  Only 2 survived that accident.

THE ALPENA:  This was a Great Lakes steamboat and conveyed people and supplies throughout the Midwest beginning in 1866.  This ship had left Grand Haven heading to Chicago when a storm hit and it sank.  To this day, its not known exactly where this steamship went down.

Here is an interesting fact from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum....they approximate around 6,000 ships have gone down in the Great Lakes  and more than 30 thousand people have lost their lives.  To this day, our Great Lakes are still a dangerous voyage because the weather can change so quickly from beautiful to deadly.