Meant to shine a bright beam of light upon shallow, rocky reefs, while piercing through the foggy or otherwise inclement weather to guide ships to safer waters, lighthouses have historically been considered beacons of maritime safety. On occasion, though, not even a lighthouse can save a ship, as attested to the 25 wrecks sunken below the murky Lake Superior around Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. Ten of these wrecks are listed on the National Register, and most of these sunken pieces of history can be explored by the experienced scuba diver.
Lighthouses
Isle Royale National Park is home to four lighthouses, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and some of which you can visit during a guided tour.
Rock Harbor Lighthouse, Isle Royale National Park / NPS-Paul Brown
Rock Harbor Lighthouse
This is the oldest, most viewed, and most visited lighthouse in the park and was built to protect the Rock Harbor channel. Rock Harbor Lodge offers a guided tour that includes a quarter mile walk to this well-kept lighthouse.
Passage Island Lighthouse, Isle Royale National Park / NPS-Paul Brown
Passage Island Lighthouse
The last manned lighthouse on Lake Superior, you can visit this stone building constructed in 1872 by taking the 8-mile cruise on the MV Sandy to Passage Island, then hiking a 2-mile round trip to the lighthouse.
Isle Royale Lighthouse, Isle Royale National Park / NPS-Jacob W. Frank
Isle Royale Lighthouse
Protecting the entrance to Siskiwit Bay from its perch on Menagerie Island, the Isle Royale Lighthouse can only be reached by private boat. The grounds are open but the tower is closed to visitors.
Rock of Ages Lighthouse, Isle Royale National Park / Robert Swanson via NPS
Rock of Ages Lighthouse
Perched atop Rock of Ages Reef is Isle Royale’s tallest lighthouse, built on a 50-foot by 200-foot rocky outcrop. This lighthouse is located just outside Washington Harbor 5 miles (8 km) off the northwest tip of the southwest portion of Isle Royale.
To read more about these lighthouses, check out this NPS Lighthouse Brochure.
Shipwrecks
Exploring the America shipwreck, Isle Royale National Park / NPS file
While Isle Royale National Park in Michigan does not have the most shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, it does have the most intact collection of shipwrecks. So, if you feel like doing a little scuba diving in Lake Superior’s cold waters to explore a bit of the park’s (and lake’s) maritime past, this is the place to go.
Before large ships plied the waters of Lake Superior, Native American copper hunters, European-American missionaries, trappers, and explorers all sliced through the lake water in canoes along the “Voyageurs Highway.” It wasn’t until the early-mid 1800s that large vessels came to Isle Royale. In the late 1800s, passenger and freight routes developed, increasing traffic to and around the island.
According to park staff:
Ships coming from the Sault Sainte Marie locks would traverse Lake Superior and "thread the needle" between Isle Royale's Passage Island and Blake Point, the most eastern point of the main island, to reach Silver Islet. Many shipwrecks occurred in this three-and-a-quarter-mile strait, and as early as 1872 it had been recognized as a very hazardous passage.
Below are the 10 major shipwrecks around Isle Royale. Click on the ship name to read its history.
Alogma
Passenger Steamer (1883-1885) Ship broke in half, and parts of the stern are all that remain.
America
Package Freighter (1898-1928) The midship and stern are intact, including engine room, galley, and numerous cabins.
Henry Chisholm
Bulk Freighter (1880-1898) A large intact steam engine with drive shaft and prop dominate the wreck scene.
Chester A. Congdon
Bulk Freighter (1907-1918) Wreckage consists of intact pilot house and bow section on south side of reef and an intact stern on north side.
George M. Cox
Passenger Steamer (1901-1933) Site features scattered wreckage, twisted steel plating, and exposed machinery and prop.
Cumberland
Passenger Steamer (1871-1877) Large sections of wooden hull, side-wheel and boiler remain.
Emperor
Bulk Freighter (1910-1947) The wreck is basically intact, with the bow area showing most damage.
Glenlyon
Bulk Freighter (1893-1924) The wreck is scattered over the reef with a few large sections still intact.
Kamloops
Bulk Freighter (1893-1924) The wreck is scattered over the reef with a few large sections still intact. Diving is not advised because of the extreme depths (260-270 feet/79.2-82.3 m) and the site is not buoyed.
Monarch
Package Freighter (1890-1906) Large sections of wooden wreckage scattered on the bottom, the wreck is known for heavy construction.
Scuba Diving The Shipwrecks
Exploring the Emperor shipwreck, Isle Royale National Park / NPS file
These shipwrecks span 70 years of Great Lakes maritime exploration and you can explore them if you are an experienced scuba diver.
According to park staff:
Preserve the stories of Isle Royale's shipwrecks by leaving them as you found them. If you discover any artifacts, leave them in place.
Some wrecks are broken up and scattered across the bottom, but some remain more intact. Divers penetrating wrecks can become lost in a maze of confined passages or entangled in debris, wire, or line. Darkness and silt can reduce visibility to zero.
Moorings
- Most shipwreck sites are buoyed to provide safe mooring and protect wrecks from anchor and tie-off damage. Moorings are marked by a white buoy with a blue stripe.
- See dive permit for mooring regulations.
- America has a two-point mooring with a buoy on a sinker in 20 feet of water and a marker buoy on the bow at two feet. Vessels should tie off, bow and stern, using the line between the two buoys.
Lake Superior is not like the balmy, turquoise-hued Caribbean. The water is very cold and murky. Depending upon topside conditions (fog, angle of sun, clouds), light may not penetrate very far down into the depths. If you are an experienced diver and wish to explore these shipwrecks, the park wants you to know a few things, first.
Lake Superior is cold. At the surface, water temperature rarely exceeds 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12.8 degrees Celsius); below 50 feet (15 m), 34-37 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 – 2.8 degrees Celsius). Full wetsuit is necessary; a drysuit is recommended.
Dive conservatively. Cold water increases the possibility of decompression problems.
Sunlight may not penetrate to the deeper depths depending on conditions (visibility, angle of sun, and fog or clouds).
Diving is remote, emergency care is not immediately available. Stay within your limits and training.
Portions of some wrecks are at depths of less than 60 feet (18.3 m); many are far deeper. Deep dives require specific equipment and experience.Safety
Weather: Lake Superior's changeable weather is well-known. Follow marine forecasts and keep at least one person aboard your boat whenever divers are in the water.
Diving-related illnesses, especially those requiring a recompression chamber, pose a severe threat to life. The closest recompression chambers are in Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
Know CPR and emergency procedures for accidents. Carry an adequate first-aid kit including an oxygen delivery system and know how to use them.
Emergencies: At the first indication of a diving illness, contact park rangers or US Coast Guard on marine radio (channel 16), or the park's emergency dispatch at (440) 546-5945.Regulations
- Leave What You Find: Federal law prohibits the removal or disturbance of shipwreck sites and associated artifacts.
- Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species: Wash all dive gear in warm chlorinated tap water; and dry all dive gear and wetsuit for seven days prior to diving in the park.
- Dive Permits: Each diver must register at the Rock Harbor, Windigo, or Houghton Visitor Center before diving, and return completed permit after the trip.
- Dive Flags: Dive sites or boats must be marked with the standard diver down flag whenever divers are in the water. When at the surface, divers must be within 100 feet of the flag. When dives take place between sunset and sunrise, the flag must be illuminated.
- Closures: All interior lakes and the Passage Island small boat cove are closed to diving to preserve fragile resources.
- America is closed to diving between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. eastern time, to allow ferry passengers to view the wreck.
- Air/Gas Fills: There are no facilities for filling dive cylinders at Isle Royale. Personal compressor use is limited to designated times and locations as indicated on your dive permit.
For additional regulations, consult your dive permit.
Featured On The Traveler
Elizabeth Valencia remembers swimming through a steel bulk freighter, the Chester A. Congdon, submerged at Isle Royale National Park, a remote island archipelago on Lake Superior in Michigan. Transporting wheat from Ontario, Canada, the ship smashed into Canoe Rocks in November 1918, several days before World War I ended.
“The bow is still in pretty good condition. It’s open, you can look around and pretend you’re driving the ship,” and also see the pilot house equipped with pots, pans, dishes and other items lodged about 75 feet below the water surface, said Valencia, the interpretation and cultural history manager at the national park.
You can read more of this Featured Story by Traveler correspondent Lori Sonken about shipwrecks and the National Park System by going to this page.
Exploring the Glenlyon shipwreck, Isle Royale National Park / NPS file
