List of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes, a collection of five freshwater lakes located in North America, have been sailed upon since at least the 17th century, and thousands of ships have been sunk while traversing them. Many of these ships were never found, so the exact number of shipwrecks in the Lakes is unknown; the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum approximates 6,000 ships and 30,000 lives lost,[1] while historian and mariner Mark Thompson has estimated that the total number of wrecks is likely more than 25,000.[2] In the period between 1816, when the Invincible was lost, to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, the Whitefish Point area alone has claimed at least 240 ships.[2]

Map of the shipwrecks in the Great Storm of 1913

Lake Superior

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates	Image
115	18 December 1899	Stranded on Pic Island.	48°41′53.48″N 86°39′16.48″W
Algoma	7 November 1885	Ran aground off the shore of Mott Island.	48°6′41″N 88°31′55″W
Amboy	1905	Ran aground during the Mataafa Storm of 1905.	47°28.674′N 90°59.898′W
America	7 June 1928	A passenger and delivery ship that ran aground on a reef off the shore of Isle Royale.	47°53′39″N 89°13′15″W
Antelope	7 October 1897	Schooner-barge sank near Apostle Islands. Wreck discovered in 2016 near Michigan Island[3]	46.818°N 90.452333°W
Arlington	1 May 1940	A steamship that broke apart in heavy seas.	48.458°N 87.670°W
Bannockburn	21 November 1902	A steel-hulled freighter that went missing on Lake Superior.
Benjamin Noble	28 April 1914	Lost off Duluth; found 2004.[4]	46°56′N 91°40′W
Big Bay sloop		Unidentified sloop believed to date from 1880-1920.	46.805167°N 90.640667°W
Chester A. Congdon	6 November 1918	A bulk steel freighter that ran aground in fog off Isle Royale.	48°11′36″N 88°30′52″W
City of Ashland	8 August 1887	A steam powered tugboat, which caught fire near the shore of its namesake city, Ashland, Wisconsin.
City of Bangor	30 November 1926	A steamer that was stranded in a storm with a cargo of 248 Chryslers.
Comet	26 August 1875	Cargo and passenger steamship that suffered a series of maritime accidents before her final collision with the Manitoba in Whitefish Bay.	46°43.02′N 84°52.00′W
Cumberland	25 July 1887	A paddlewheeler that struck a reef near Rock of Ages Light.	47°51′28″N 89°19′32″W
Cyprus	11 October 1907	A lake freighter that capsized near Deer Park.	46.79°N 85.60°W
D.M. Clemson	1 December 1908	Went missing on Lake Superior on 1 December 1908.
Edmund Fitzgerald	10 November 1975	Lost in a storm on Lake Superior, the Fitzgerald is one of the largest ships to have sunk in the Great Lakes. The exact cause of the disaster has never been made clear, and has been the subject of much discussion.	46°59.91′N 85°06.61′W
Emperor	4 June 1947	A freighter that ran aground off Isle Royale.	48°12′2″N 88°29′30″W
USS Essex	13 October 1931	A decommissioned U.S. Navy steam sloop that was scrapped and burned to the waterline. Her hull is the only surviving remnant of a vessel built by Donald McKay.[5]	46°42′46″N 92°01′43″W
George Spencer	28 November 1905	A wooden freighter that ran aground in the Mataafa Storm of 1905.	47°28.41′N 90°59.59′W
Glenlyon	1 November 1924	A freighter that ran aground off Menagerie Island.	47°57′8″N 88°44′53″W
Gunilda	11 August 1911	A yacht that ran up on McGarvey Shoal, Lake Superior.	48.78425°N 87.42235°W
George M. Cox	May 1933	A ship that ran aground on a calm day.
Harriet B.	3 May 1922	Lost off Two Harbors after being rammed in fog.	46.966667°N 91.7°W
Henry B. Smith	10 November 1913	Lost in Lake Superior during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913.	46.914°N 87.333°W
Henry Chisholm	20 October 1898	A wooden freighter that sank off the shore of Isle Royale.	47°51′28″N 89°19′32″W
Henry Steinbrenner	11 May 1953	Great Lakes freighter lost in Lake Superior.
Hesper	3 May 1905	A Wooden bulk-freighter steamship that sank in a snowstorm at Silver Bay.	47°16′17″N 91°16′18″W
Hudson	16 September 1901	An steel-hulled steamer that was lost with all hands off Eagle Harbor; Wreck discovered 2019 off Eagle River	47.583333°N 88.166667°W
Iosco	2 September 1905	A wooden steamer that sank near the Huron Islands
Ira H. Owen	28 November 1905	Early steel steamer lost off Outer Island with all hands
Invincible	1816	A wooden ship employed in the fur trade by the Northwest Company. It sank in a storm. Generally considered to be the first recorded ship to sink in the Great Lakes.
J. S. Seaverns	10 May 1884	Sank off Michipicoten, no lives lost. Wreck discovered in 2016.[6][7]
John B. Cowle	12 July 1909	Sank in Whitefish Bay with the loss of 14 lives after colliding with the Isaac M. Scott.[8]	46°44.435′N 84°57.877′W
John M. Osborn	27 July 1884	Wooden steam barge rammed by 'terror of the lakes' Alberta.	46°51.974′N 85°05.210′W
Kamloops	7 December 1927	A Canadian canaller that sank off Isle Royale.	48°5′6″N 88°45′53″W
Lafayette	28 November 1905	A steel-hulled bulk freighter that broke in half near Two Harbors, Minnesota.	47.094917°N 91.54935°W
Lambton	18 April 1922	Canadian lighthouse tender that sank in Whitefish Bay
Lucerne	November 1886	A commercial schooner that sank off the coast of Long Island.	46°43.389′N 90°46.035′W
Madeira	28 November 1905	A casualty of the Mataafa Storm in 1905.	47°12′22″N 91°21′29″W
Marquette	1903	A bulk freighter that sank off Michigan Island.	46°49.912′N 90°25.784′W
May Flower	2 June 1891	Two-masted scow schooner that capsized off the Lester River.[9]	46°48′12″N 92°00′40″W
Miztec	13 May 1921	A schooner barge that survived the 1919 storm that took her partner, the SS Myron. The Miztec's good fortune ended when she sank in 1921 with the loss of all hands. She came to rest next to the Myron.	46°48.073′N 85°04.500′W
M.M. Drake	2 October 1901	Sank off Vermilion Point on Lake Superior.[8]	46°46.588′N 85°05.933′W
Monarch	6 December 1906	A passenger and delivery freighter lost in a storm off Isle Royale.	48°11′20″N 88°26′3″W
Moonlight	1September 1903	A schooner that sank off the coast of Michigan Island.	46°49.939′N 90°22.703′W
Myron	23 November 1919	Lumber hooker lost in a storm on Lake Superior.	46°48.463′N 85°01.646′W
Niagara	4 June 1904	Large wooden rafting tug ran aground at Knife Island	46.945751°N 91.771245°W
Noquebay	6 October 1905	A wooden schooner that caught fire and sank off Stockton Island.	46°55.568′N 90°32.717′W
Onoko	14 September 1915	Sprang a leak and sank near Knife River	46°50.772′N 91°46.640′W
Ottawa	13 November 1909	A tugboat that caught fire after rescuing a stranded steamboat.
Pretoria	1905	A schooner-barge that sank off Outer Island in 1905.	47°05.36′N 90°23.66′W
USS Puritan	27 May 1933	A commercial steamship (renamed George M. Cox in 1933) that struck a reef near Rock of Ages Light.	47°51′28″N 89°19′32″W
R.G. Stewart	4 June 1899	A commercial Packet steamer that caught fire and sank off the coast of Michigan Island.
Robert Wallace	17 November 1902	A wooden freighter that sank after her stern pipe burst.	46°50.837′N 91°43.736′W
Sagamore	29 July 1901	A whaleback barge, sank in a collision with Northern Queen near Iroquois Point in Whitefish Bay.	46°31.085′N 84°37.935′W
Samuel Mather	21 November 1891	Sank in a collision with the Brazil off Iroquois Point in Whitefish Bay with no loss of life.[8]	46°34.308′N 084°42.325′W
Samuel P. Ely	30 October 1896	A schooner lost off Two Harbors	47°00′42″N 91°40′40″W
Scotiadoc	20 June 1953	Rammed by the freighter Burlington in heavy fog off Trowbridge Island, near the Sleeping Giant.	48.271936°N 88.949157°W
Sevona	2 September 1905	A steamboat that ran aground off the coast of Sand Island.	47°00.410′N 90°54.520′W
S.R. Kirby	8 May 1916	Struck by a giant wave, broke in two and sank off the Keweenaw Peninsula	47.56656°N 88.218141°W
Superior City	20 August 1920	Collided with Willis L. King in Whitefish Bay.	46°43.51′N 84°52.37′W
T.H. Camp	16 November 1900	A wooden tugboat that sank between Madeline and Basswood Islands.	46.816667°N 90.75°W
Theano	17 November 1906	A steel ocean steamer that sank in deep water after striking a reef.	48°18′N 88°52′W
Thomas friant	6 January 1924	Fish tug that sank after being holed by ice.	46°52.0′N 91°29.0′W
Thomas Wilson	7 June 1902	Struck by the wooden steamer George Hadley and sunk less than a mile out of the Duluth Ship Canal.[10]	46°47′0″N 92°4′10″W
Vienna	17 September 1892	Rammed by Nipigon in Whitefish Bay.	46°44′N 84°57′W
William C. Moreland	18 October 1910	A 600-foot-long (180 m) steel-hulled bulk freighter that ran aground on Sawtooth Reef.	47°24.84′N 88°19.73′W
Western Reserve	30 August 1892	Broke in two in a summer storm on Lake Superior.

Lake Huron

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates	Image
Arabia	October 1884	Barque that foundered of Echo Island near Tobermory, Ontario in 120 feet of water.
SS Argus	9 November 1913	Wreckage found near Bayfield Ontario Canada
CC Martin	1911	Tug lost with barge Albatross during storm off French River, ten lives lost.	45.51555°N 81.070277°W
SS Cedarville	7 May 1965	A bulk carrier that collided with SS Topdalsfjord in the Straits of Mackinac.	45°47.235′N 85°40.248′W
SS Charles S. Price	15 November 1913	Capsized in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. Sighted floating upside-down 10 November 1913 identified as Charles S. Price before it sank on 15 November 1913. Wreck was not found until the 60s when it was found by Resbert R. Martin.	43°11.89980′N 82°23.89980′W
SS Choctaw	12 February 1915	Sank in a collision with the SS Wahcondah.
City of Grand Rapids	29 October 1907	The City of Grand Rapids was a double decker passenger streamer that caught fire while docked in Little Tub Harbour. For the security of the harbour, the Grand Rapids was towed out into Georgian Bay and released to burn. From there she drifted to the head of Big Tub Harbour where she burnt to the waterline and sank.
Cornelia B. Windiate	27 November 1875	Iced up and slowly sank in a storm after passing through the Straits of Mackinac.
SS Daniel J. Morrell	29 November 1966	Broke in two in a storm on Lake Huron, with the aft section coming to rest five miles from the bow.	43.850°N 82.590°W
Dorcas Pendell	6 July 1914	Shallow water shipwreck located in the harbor of Harbor Beach, Michigan. The Dorcas Pendell was a schooner built in 1884 and burned in place on 6 July 1914 after running aground.
SS D.R. Hanna	16 May 1919	A 552-foot (168 m) long steel freighter that sank in a collision with the Quincy A. Shaw.
Emma L. Nielson	26 June 1911	Collision in fog off Pointe Aux Barques.
Erie Belle	21 November 1883	A steamship that exploded while attempting to rescue the stranded schooner J. N. Carter.	44.156741°N 81.658997°W
Exchange
Forest City	5 June 1904	Ran aground in foggy weather near south east end of Bear's Rump Island in Georgian Bay near Tobermory. Smashed stem is in 60 feet and stern is at 150 feet depth.	45°19.0′N 81°33.0′W
Hunter Savidge	20 August 1899	Capsized off Point Aux Barques.
SS Hydrus	11 November 1913	Lost on Lake Huron during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. Its wreck was discovered in July 2015.[11]
SS Isaac M. Scott	9 November 1913	A lake freighter that sank in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913.	45°03′N 83°02′W
James C. King	November 1901	While under tow by W. L. Wetmore, which was wrecked by a storm, the King was wrecked too at the northwest end of Bonnet Island near Tobermory, Ontario in about 90 feet of water.
SS James Carruthers	9 November 1913	Lost on Lake Huron during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913.	44.801°N 82.397°W
James Davidson	4 October 1883	Wooden bulk freighter wrecked in shallow water off the coast of Thunder Bay Island while towing a consort-barge to Duluth. While still stranded, its engine and boiler were salvaged, and the rest of it has since broken up and separated about 35 feet underwater.[12]	45°01′56.64″N 83°11′33.78″W
SS John A. McGean	1913	Lost in storm off Harbor Beach in Lake Huron in the Great Storm of 1913. Wreck discovered in 1985.[11]
SS Kaliyuga	October 1905	A wooden steamship lost in a storm.
Lottie Wolf	16 October 1891	This schooner broke up in gale force seas in shallow water about 200 feet of the Hope Island Lighthouse in about 30 feet of water near Midland, Ontario.
Mapledawn	30 November 1924	This steel freighter ran aground in a snow storm on the west side of Christian Island near Midland, Ontario. She is in 35 feet of water with part of the stem sticking out of the water.
Marine City	28 August 1880	Wrecked north of Sturgeon Point Light.
Metamora	30 September 1907	A wooden tug that sank near Pointe au Baril, Georgian Bay.	45°31′43.39″N 80°24′26.61″W
Michigan	November 1943	While removing grain from the stranded Riverton at the north west end of Hope Island near Midland, Ontario, high winds blew her into shallow waters grounding her in 20 feet of water.
Monohansett	23 November 1907	The wooden steam barge sank after catching fire near Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron. As the wreck took place near the island's Life Saving Station, no lives were lost.[13]	45°01′59.76″N 83°11′59.28″W
SS Monrovia	26 May 1959	A cargo ship that collided with SS Royalston north of Thunder Bay Island.	44°35′25″N 82°33′12″W
SS Ohio (1875)	26 September 1894	A wooden freighter that sank in a collision with the schooner Ironton.
Philo Scoville	October 1889	Wrecked during a storm and is in 100 feet at north east end of Bonnet Island near Tobermory, Ontario.
SS Regina	10 November 1913	Lost on Lake Huron during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913.
Sweepstakes	September 1885	A schooner that was damaged off Cove Island in August, then sank a month later in Big Tub Harbour, near Tobermory.	45°15′18″N 81°40′50″W
True North II	16 June 2000	A glass-bottomed tour boat that sank in Georgian Bay, killing two students.
Typo	14 October 1899	The wooden three-masted schooner was run down by the steamer W.P. Ketcham. The ship sank immediately and the four crew on board drowned.[14]	45°24′55″N 83°33′51″W
PS Waubuno	22 November 1879	A side-wheel paddle steamer lost in a storm in Georgian Bay.	45°07′15″N 80°09′58″W
W.L. Wetmore	November 1901	Wrecked in a storm at the west end of Bonnet Island in about 30 feet of water, near Tobermory, Ontario.
SS Wexford	9 November 1913	Lost on Lake Huron during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913.
Minnedosa	20 October 1905	Sank while in tow, near Harbor Beach, Michigan; 9 crew and passengers lost.

Lake Michigan

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
SS Alpena	15 October 1880	A sidewheel steamer that capsized in a storm.
Alvin Clark	19 June 1864	A schooner that sank off the shore of Chambers Island. It was raised in 1969 and taken to Menominee, where it became a tourist attraction. However, it quickly deteriorated, and was demolished in 1994 to make way for a parking lot.	45.104167°N 87.620278°W
America	28 September 1880	A wooden schooner that struck another vessel's scow line.
SS Anna C. Minch	11 November 1940	A cargo carrier that broke in two and sank during the Armistice Day Blizzard.	43.787°N 86.531°W
SS Appomattox	2 November 1905	A bulk cargo steamship that ran aground in fog.	43°05′37.09″N 87°51′58.35″W
SS Australasia	18 November 1896	A wooden steamship that sank after burning to a total loss.	44°55.20′N 87°11.13′W
SS Carl D. Bradley	18 November 1958	A self-unloading Great Lakes freighter caught in a vicious storm on Lake Michigan.
SS Chicora	21 January 1895	A steamer that went missing in Lake Michigan
Christina Nilsson	23 October 1884	A schooner that sank in a blizzard off Baileys Harbor.
City of Muskegon	28 October 1919	A paddlewheel steamer that struck a pier in a gale at Muskegon, Michigan, sinking in four minutes.
Continental	1904	A bulk carrier that sank off the coast of Two Rivers.
Daniel Lyons	17 October 1878	A schooner that collided with the Kate Gillett off Algoma.
Dreadnaught	September 1886	Schooner which was sunk after collision with the tug "Cheney" off Pt, Au Gres, Saginaw Bay. [15]
SS Eber Ward	20 April 1909	A cargo ship that foundered in heavy ice west of Mackinaw City.
Erie L. Hackley	3 October 1903	A cargo liner that sank in a storm near Green Island, Wisconsin.	45°03.71′N 87°27.37′W
SS Eastland	24 July 1915	Rolled over in the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois. A total of 848 passengers and crew were killed––the largest loss of life in a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.
Fleetwing	26 September 1888	A schooner that ran aground off the coast of Liberty Grove.
SS Francisco Morazan	29 November 1960	Grounded and became a total loss in 1960 off the south shore of South Manitou Island. She ran over the wreck of the bulk freighter SS Walter L Frost.
Frank O'Connor	3 October 1919	A bulk carrier that caught fire and sank off the coast of North Bay.	45°06′52″N 87°0′44″W
Gallinipper	1851	A schooner that sank in a gale off the coast of Centerville.
George W. Morley	5 December 1897	A wooden Great Lakes bulk freighter that caught fire off the shore of Evanston, Illinois.[16]	42°02′38.4″N 87°40′05.4″W
Grape Shot	November 1867	A schooner that was run aground by a gale off the coast of Plum Island.
Green Bay		An unidentified sloop off the coast of Sevastopol, believed to date from 1840-1860.
Grace Channon	1877	A three-masted wooden schooner that collided with the propeller tug Favourite 12 miles south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[17]
Hanover	November 1867	A schooner that struck a shoal near the Strawberry Islands.
Hennepin	18 August 1927	The first self-unloading bulk carrier; sprang a leak off the east coast of Lake Michigan.
Home	1858	A schooner that collided with the William Fiske off the coast of Centerville.
Iris	1913	A schooner that ran aground off the coast of Washington Island.
Joys	23 December 1898	A steamboat that caught fire at anchor in the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.
Lady Elgin	8 September 1860	A steamship wrecked in Lake Michigan near Chicago following a collision with the schooner Augusta. The greatest loss of life on open water in the Great Lakes.	42°11′00″N 87°39′00″W
SS Lakeland	3 December 1924	A steel freighter that sank after she sprang a leak.	44°47.34′N 87°11.32′W
Louisiana	8 November 1913	A steamboat that caught fire in a snowstorm off Washington.
L.R. Doty	25 October 1898	A steamship lost in a violent storm while towing the Olive Jeanette.
Lumberman	6 April 1893	A schooner that sank in a storm off the coast of Oak Creek.
Meridian	October 1873	A schooner that sank off the coast off Sister Bay.
SS Milwaukee	22 October 1929	Train ferry that sank in a storm off Milwaukee with the loss of all hands. Today she lies about four miles northeast of the North Point Lighthouse.[18]
Mount Vernon	10 April 1869	Ran aground in weather off Kewaunee, Wisconsin
Niagara	23 September 1856	A palace steamer that caught fire and sank off Belgium, Wisconsin.
Northerner	29 November 1868	A schooner that capsized off Port Washington.
Ocean Wave	23 September 1869	A scow schooner that sank in a storm off the coast of Door County.
Phoenix	21 November 1847	Wooden steamship that caught fire from over-stoked boilers and burned to the waterline off the coast of Sheboygan, WI, killing at least 190 but perhaps more than 250 of the nearly 300 souls on board. 39 people survived in lifeboats and three were rescued from the water.[19]
R. J. Hackett	12 November 1905	The first Great Lakes freighter; caught fire, ran aground and sank in Green Bay.	45°21′28″N 87°10′55″W
Rosinco	19 September 1928	A luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Kenosha.
Rouse Simmons	23 November 1912	Sunk in a storm on Lake Michigan with its cargo of Christmas trees.
Silver Spray	15 July 1914	A passenger steamer that ran aground against the Morgan Shoal[20] off the coast of Chicago.	41.8082°N 87.5837°W
Success	26 November 1896	Pushed ashore by a gale during a storm off the coast of Sevastopol, Wisconsin.
Tennie and Laura	2 August 1903	A scow schooner that sank off Port Washington.
Three Brothers	27 September 1911	A lumber freighter that took on water and was driven aground on South Manitou Island.
S.B. Toledo	22 October 1856	79 of 81 passengers and crew were lost when she sank near Port Washington, Wisconsin in 10 to 35 feet of water. Also carried freight. Wood hull, propeller/direct acting steam engine built by B.B. Jones Co, Buffalo, New York 1854.
SM UC-97	7 June 1921	A German Type UC III submarine sunk as a target off the coast of Highland Park, Illinois.
SS Selah Chamberlain	13 October 1886	Sank two miles northeast of Sheboygan.	43°46.196′N 087°39.401′W
SS Walter L. Frost	4 November 1903	Stranded off South Manitou Island. Her carcass was struck by and caused the sinking of the SS Francisco Morazan in 1960.
SS William B. Davock	11 November 1940	Sank near Pentwater in the Armistice Day Blizzard.
SS Wisconsin	October 1929	A steamboat that sank off the coast of Kenosha.
Thomas Hume	21 May 1891	A schooner that disappeared on Lake Michigan.
SS W.H. Gilcher	28 October 1892	The Gilcher was a steel-hulled freighter that went missing on Lake Michigan on 28 October 1892.
SS Pere Marquette 18	9 September 1910	A steel-hulled car ferry that mysteriously flooded, and sank on Lake Michigan.
SS Henry Cort	30 November 1934	A whaleback freighter that ran aground at Muskegon, Michigan.
W. C. Kimball	May 1891	65-ft wooden schooner sunk off South Manitou Island, wreck in excellent condition[21]

Lake Erie

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
17 Fathom wreck		Lying on a silt bottom at 105 feet http://www.eriewrecks.com/shipwrecks/17fathom/17fathom.html	42°39′N 80°03′W
Admiral	2 Dec 1942	14 died. Towing barge CLEVECO (qv), she encountered a heavy gale & began to founder. She radioed in, but C.G. was unable to locate her in the murk before she went down. Owned by Cleveland Tankers, Cleveland. Wreck located by a commercial diver in 1969.	41°38′N 81°54′W
Adventure	7 October 1903	The sand dredge sank off Kelley's Island following a fire.	41°38′N 82°41′W
SS Algeria			41°31′N 81°42′W
Alva B.	1 November 1917	The tug ran aground off Avon Point in a storm.	41°30′N 82°01′W
America	5 April 1854	The sidewheel steamer ran aground on Pelee Island.	41°49′N 82°38′W
Angler	1893	A tug that caught fire and sank in Long Point.
PS Anthony Wayne	28 April 1850	A wooden-hulled paddle steamer that sank after her boilers exploded. She is the oldest steamboat wreck on the Great Lakes.	41°31.00′N 82°23.00′W
Atlantic	20 August 1852	Paddlewheel steamer rammed and sunk off Long Point in the fifth-worst single-vessel disaster to ever occur on the Great Lakes.	42°30′N 80°05′W
Arches	11 November 1852	Also known as Oneida, the package freighter sank in a storm off Long Point.	42°27′N 80°01′W
Argo	20 October 1937	The tank barge sank off Pelee Island with cargo of oil, considered one of the greatest pollution risks on the Lakes[22]
Armenia	8 May 1906
Aycliffe Hall	1936	Sank off Long Point.
Bay Coal Schooner	mid 1800s	The schooner suddenly sank off Bay Village, Ohio. Wreck believed to be the Industry, which sank in 1874.	41°33′N 81°56′W
Black Duck	1872	A 51-foot single mast scow sloop that sank in the East end of Lake Erie in August 1872.
Bow Cabin			41°56′N 82°14′W
British Lion	1877	Ran aground off Long Point. The same storm claimed the Mediera and Elize A. Turner.
Brown Brothers	1959	Sank off Long Point.	42°37′N 80°00′W
Brunswick			42°35′N 79°24′W
Canobie			42°10′N 80°00′W
Carlingford	12 November 1881	The schooner sank following a collison with the steamer Brunswick	42°39′N 79°28′W
Cascade	24 January 1904	The tug sank after encountering ice.	41°28′N 82°11′W
Case
C.B. Benson			42°46′N 79°14′W
C.B. Lockwood	13 October 1902	Discovered to have sunk below Lake Erie's bottom[23]	41°56′N 81°23′W
Cecil J.	27 May 1944	The tugboat was scuttled after it caught fire.	42°45′N 80°13′W
Charger	31 July 1890	The schooner sank following a collision.
Charles B. Packard
Charles H. Davis			41°30′N 81°43′W
Charles Foster			42°10′N 80°15′W
City of Concord	29 September 1906	The steamer sank north of Huron, Ohio in a storm.
City of Dresden	1922	Ran aground off Long Point.
Clarion
Cleveco			41°47′N 81°36′W
Colonel Cook
Colonial
Conemaugh
Craftsman			41°31′N 82°00′W
Crete			42°10′N 80°00′W
David Stewart
David Vance
Dean Richmond			42°17′N 79°55′W
Dundee			41°41′N 81°50′W
Dunkirk Schooner Site		An early unidentified schooner lying off Dunkirk, New York	42°33′0″N 79°36′0″W
Duke Luedtke			41°41′N 81°57′W
Eldorado			42°10′N 80°00′W
Elize A. Turner	1877	Ran aground off Long Point. The same storm claimed the British Lion and Madiera.
Elphicke	1913	Ran aground off Long Point.
Empire	1870	Ran aground off Long Point.
Erieau Quarry Stone			42°15′N 81°54′W
F.A. Meyer			41°55′N 82°02′W
Fannie L. Jones			41°30′N 81°43′W
Frank E. Vigor			41°57′N 81°57′W
George Dunbar			41°40′N 82°33′W
George Stone
George Worthington
SS G. P. Griffith	18 June 1850	Between 241 and 289 lives lost when the ship caught fire. Third-greatest loss of life in any Great Lakes shipping disaster.
Grand Traverse
H.A. Barr			42°09′N 81°23′W
Henry Roop	12 October 1843	A schooner lost in a storm.
H.G. Cleveland
Hickory Stick			41°32′N 82°06′W
Idaho	1897	Ran aground off Long Point.
Indiana			42°17′N 79°59′W
Isabella J. Boyce	June 1917	A sandsucker which grounded on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie, caught fire, and sunk in 10 feet (3.0 m) of water. No lives were lost.
Ivanhoe			41°33′N 82°02′W
James B. Colgate	20 October 1916	A whaleback steamer that sank off Long Point, in a storm that also took the SS Merida. Wreckage was located in 1991.	42°05′N 81°44′W
James J. Reed	1944	Sank off Long Point.
Jay Gould			41°51′N 82°24′W
Jennie P. King	1866	Foundered off Long Point.
Jersey City	1860	Foundered off Long Point.
J.G. McGrath			42°40′N 79°23′W
J.J. Boland Jr.			42°22′N 79°43′W
John B. Griffin
John B. Lyon
John Pridgeon Jr.			41°35′N 81°58′W
Jorge B.
Joseph Paige	14 October 1893	Ran aground off Long Point, in a gale that also took the Wocoken.
Lawrence	1921	Ran aground off Long Point.
Lake Serpent	1829	The schooner disappeared en route to Cleveland with a load of limestone. Both occupants fell overboard and drowned; their bodies washed ashore just west of Cleveland. The ship was discovered in 2016 and identified in 2019. She is the oldest confirmed shipwreck in Lake Erie.
Little Wissahickon			41°54′N 81°56′W
Lycoming			42°15′N 81°53′W
Mabel Wilson			41°30′N 81°43′W
Madiera	1877	Ran aground off Long Point. The same storm claimed the British Lion and Elize A. Turner.
Magnet
Margaret Olwill	28 June 1899	Overloaded with limestone, the load shifted during an unexpected June gale and the ship was capsized by waves when the steering chains broke. At least eight people perished. The wreck was discovered in 2017.
Marquette & Bessemer No. 2	8 December 1909	A car ferry that sank in a storm. Thirty-four to thirty-eight people perished.
Marshall F. Butters			41°43′N 82°17′W
Mecosta			41°31′N 81°53′W
Merida	16 October 1916	A Ward Line steamer that sank off Long Point in a storm that also took the James B. Colgate.	42°13′N 81°20′W
Morania	29 October 1951	Also includes Penobscot. Closest shipwreck to Buffalo River
M.I. Wilcox
Morning Star			41°36′N 82°12′W
Mystic	1907	Sank off Long Point.
New Brunswick
Niagara	1899	Ran aground off Long Point.
North Carolina			41°43′N 81°22′W
Northern Indiana	17 July 1856	Caught fire near Point au Pelee, Lake Erie, while en route from Buffalo to Monroe, Michigan.[24] 56 lives lost.	41°53′N 82°30′W
Oneida			42°13′N 79°51′W
Oxford			42°28′N 79°51′W
Paddy Murphy
Pascal P. Pratt	1908	Ran aground off Long Point.	42°33′N 80°05′W
Passaic			42°28′N 79°27′W
Penelope			41°31′N 82°02′W
Philip D. Armour			42°07′N 80°10′W
Philip Minch			41°41′N 82°30′W
Pocahontas	1862	Foundered off Long Point.
Queen of the West			41°50′N 82°23′W
Raleigh	29 November 1911	During a storm, the rudder broke and she ran aground about 1 mile off Wildwood Road, Sherkston, Ontario in 30 feet of water.
Rebecca Foster	1857	Foundered off Long Point.
Robert			42.25°N 81.81°W
S.F. Gale	28 November 1876		41°44′N 81°52′W
S.K. Martin			42°14′N 79°56′W
St. James	October 1870	Sank of unknown cause off Long Point in Lake Erie; discovered 1984.	42°27′N 80°07′W
Sand Merchant			41°34′N 82°57′W
Sarah E. Sheldon			41°29′N 82°06′W
Siberia	1883	A schooner that ran aground off Long Point.
Siberia	1905	Ran aground off Long Point.
Smith	25 October 1930	A tugboat that sank under tow off Long Point, Lake Erie.
Specular
Success			41°31′N 82°54′W
Sultan	24 September 1864	Lost in a storm off of Cleveland	41°36′N 81°37′W
T-8			42°35′N 80°01′W
Tasmania			41°47′N 82°29′W
Tire Reef			42°41′N 80°08′W
Trade Wind		A schooner that collided with the Sir Charles Napier off Long Point.	42°25′N 80°12′W
Tug Smith			42°28′N 79°59′W
Two Fannies	10 August 1890	Sank after it developed a leak in heavy seas.	41°33′N 81°55′W
Unknown			42°08′N 81°37′W
Valentine			41°55′N 81°54′W
Washington Irving			42°32′N 79°27′W
Wild Rover	2 November 1874	Foundered off Long Point.
William H. Vanderbilt	1883	Ran aground off Long Point.
Willis
Wilma			42°42′N 80°02′W
Wocoken	14 October 1893	Ran aground off Long Point in a gale that also took the Joseph Paige.
Young Phoenix	1818	Sank off Long Point, Lake Erie.

Lake Ontario

Ship	Sunk Date	Notes	Coordinates
Shooner Milan		Directly in front of Oak Orchard, NY in deep water
Unidentified Wreck		On Wautoma Shoals in shallow water
Undine		Northeast of Wautoma Shoals in 40' of water
Laura Grace Steamer		Directly in front of Long Pond Outlet in Greece, NY
Unidentified Wreck		Northeast of Rochester Harbor Breakwalls in 40' of water
Twin Unidentified Wrecks		East of the eastern break wall entering Rochester harbor in shallow water
Henry Roney		Directly in front of Webster, NY in 70' of water
US Coast Guard Boat 56022		Between Ontario on the Lake and Pultneyville in front of the submerged pipline in 32' of water
Steamer Perserverance		Directly in front of Pultneyville, NY in deep water
Saint Peter		Northeast of the Pultneyville Outer Range rear light in 100' of water
Orcadian		Directly outside of Sodus Bay harbor on the western side of the harbor entrance in shallow water
Etta Belle		Directly outside of Sodus Bay harbor on the eastern side of the harbor entrance in shallow water
The Porter		Inside Little Sodus Bay along the break wall separating the lake from the bay on the east side of the channel
Congercoal		Inside Little Sodus Bay along Fair Haven Beach State Park's western shoreline. Just off the parking lot and South of the boat launch
David W. Mills		Just off the Northeast corner of Ford Shoal by the green marker bouy
Mary Kay		In 54' of water just Northeast of Snake Creek
Cormorant		Northwest of the Mary Kay and Northeast of the David Mills in 165' of water
Robert Bruce		Near North Sandy Pond
Cortez		Directly off of Southwick Beach State Park
Hartford		Near North Sandy Pond, part of the ship has also washed ashore on the North Sandy Pond Barrier Bar
Ariadne		North of North Sandy Pond in shallow water are the remains of the Ariadne
William Elgin Schooner
The T. J. Waffle Steamer		27 Miles off Oswego, NY
Dagger-board Schooner		Near Galloo Island
Steamer City of New York		Off the coast of Oswego, NY
Onandaga Schooner		Off Stony Point, NY
Steamer Wisconsin		Off Tibbetts Point Lighthouse
Hiawatha Schooner Barge		in 95' of water, discovered Sept. 2017 by Tim Caza
H. B. Schooner-barge		Eastern Lake Ontario 20 miles off the Oswego shoreline
Menominee		Northeastern Lake Ontario off Galloo Island
Old Steamer		Eastern Lake Ontario in 90 feet of water
North Star Schooner		South of Stony Island in 100' of water
American Schooner		Off Stony Point in 100+' of water
J.W. Langmuir		on the shoal at the head of Galloo island
S.S. Ellsworth		In 21' of water off Stony Island
House Boat		Located in Chaumont Bay

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Alberta		A Lake tug with the appearance of an Alligator Tug from the Ottawa River logging days, sank near Bay of Quinte.
Aloha	1917	Sunk while in tow of the CW Chamberlain off Nine Mile Point
Annie Falconer	1904	A schooner that sank in a storm en route to Picton. One crew member perished of exposure upon reaching Amherst Island.
Augustus		A schooner that sank en route to be scuttled during the 1937 Portsmouth harbour cleanup.
Bay State	4 November 1862	Screw propeller, sank in storm. Wreck discovered August 2015[25]
Belle Sheridan	7 November 1880	A 123-foot two masted schooner. She was carrying coal en route to Toronto when caught in the Gale of 1880 and after fighting for hours, sank in 12 feet of water in Wellers Bay. Only one of the crew of seven survived.
China	1872	A small steamer that caught fire and sank off False Duck Island, six months after launching.
City of Sheboygan	1925	Sank in a storm off Amherst Island with the loss of 5 people.
Comet	1861	A paddlewheeler that sunk in a collision with the schooner Exchange off Nine Mile Point, with the loss of 2 lives.
Cornwall	1931	A paddlewheeler scuttled in the Amherst Island graveyard.
Dominion
Dredge Islander		A dredge scuttled in the Snake Island graveyard after harbour cleanup in the 1930s.
Dupont Salvage Scow		Scuttled near Dupont Point, perhaps after the Elevator Bay cleanup.
Effie Mae	1993	A charter boat that was scuttled beside the Aloha for a diving attraction
Empress		A steamer scuttled in the Amherst Island Graveyard. Real name unknown.
Frontenac		Tug.
George A. Marsh	17 August 1917	A schooner that was sunk during a heavy gale off Pigeon Island. Twelve of fourteen crew and passengers died.[26]
George T Davie		Barge.
Glendora		A steamer that was scuttled in the Amherst Island Graveyard. Real name unknown.
USS Hamilton	8 August 1813	A US Navy schooner that sunk in a squall off Fourteen Mile Creek, Oakville. A US sister ship the Scourge sank in the same squall.
Hilda		Wrecker.
Katie Eccles		Ran aground near Kingston on Lake Ontario.
KPH Wreck		A flat barge 30 m (100 ft) long that sank near Kingston Psychiatric Hospital.
Londonderry		Wrecker.
Maple Glen		Steamer.
Marine Museum 2		Scow.
Mark One		Tug.
Monkey Wrench		A schooner that was scuttled in the Amherst Island Graveyard. Real name unknown.
Munson	30 April 1890	A dredger that sank in 4 minutes due to leaking plank, off Lemoine Point.[26]
Nisbet Grammer	26 May 1926	A lake freighter that sank in a collision with the Dalwarnic off Somerset.
SS Noronic	17 September 1949	A Great Lakes cruise ship that burned and sank at Toronto dock, with over 100 passengers killed.
Ocean Wave	1853	Paddlewheeler.
Olive Branch		Schooner.
Oliver Mowat		Schooner.
HMS Ontario	31 October 1780	A British 22-gun brig-sloop sunk in a storm on Lake Ontario, discovered in 2008. The oldest shipwreck ever found on the Great Lakes.
St. Peter	27 October 1898	A schooner that was wrecked near Pultneyville.	43°18′42″N 77°7′52″W
Queen Mary		A steamer that was scuttled in the Amherst Island Graveyard. Real name unknown.
R.H. Rae		Schooner.
Ricky's Tug		Scuttled in the Amherst Island Graveyard. Real name unknown.
HMS St Lawrence		A wooden warship that served in the War of 1812. The ship was decommissioned and her hull was used as a storage facility by Morton's Brewery in Kingston. In January 1832, the hull was sold to Robert Drummond for £25. Later, it was sunk close to shore, and is now a popular diving attraction.	44°13′14″N 76°30′18″W
S.M. Douglas		A former White Star dredger.
HMS Speedy	8 October 1804	A schooner that sank off Brighton, Lake Ontario.	43.814°N 76.789°W
USS Sylph	1823	A schooner that served in the War of 1812.
Terry's Tug		Tug.
HMS Toronto	1811	A schooner that sank off Hanlan's Point, Toronto Islands, Lake Ontario.
Unknown			43°27′N 77°26′W
Washington	1803	Commercial sloop owned by Canadians, built by Americans on Lake Erie, sunk off Oswego.[27]
Waterlily		Steam barge.
William Jamieson		Schooner.
William Johnston		A tug that sank off 9-Mile Point.	44°07′N 76°33′W
HMS Wolfe (later HMS Montreal)		A freshwater sloop of war that served in the War of 1812. She was ordered broken up and sold in 1831, and is presumed to have rotted and sunk at Kingston. The wreck, identified as HMS Montreal by Parks Canada in 2006, lies near the Royal Military College of Canada.	44°13′N 76°27′W
Wolfe Islander II	21 September 1985	Car ferry scuttled to provide scuba attraction off Dawson's Point, Wolfe Island

Largest wrecks

Largest shipwrecks on the Great Lakes

Ship	In service	End of service	Length (ft)	Vessel type	Launched	Final disposition	Notes	Coordinates
SS Edmund Fitzgerald	24 September 1958	10 November 1975	729	Bulk carrier	7 June 1958	Sank on Lake Superior	The Edmund Fitzgerald was 729-foot long freighter that sank of an unknown cause in a storm on Lake Superior. The Fitzgerald is the largest ship to sink on the lakes.	46°59.91′N 85°06.61′W
SS Carl D. Bradley	28 July 1927	18 November 1958	639	Self-unloading Bulk carrier	9 April 1927	Broke in two in a severe storm on Lake Michigan	The Carl D. Bradley was a Great Lakes freighter that had a 31-year career that suddenly ended in 1958 when she broke in two in a severe November storm on Lake Michigan.
SS Daniel J. Morrell	24 September 1906	29 November 1966	603	Lake freighter	22 August 1906	Sank on Lake Huron	The Daniel J. Morrell was a Great Lakes bulk carrier that sank with only one survivor; 26-year old watchman Dennis Hale of Ashtabula, Ohio.	43.850°N 82.590°W
SS William C Moreland	1 September 1910	18 October 1910	600	Lake freighter	27 July 1910	Ran aground on Sawtooth Reef	The William C. Moreland was a Great Lakes bulk carrier that ran aground due to poor visibility on Sawtooth Reef, Lake Superior.
SS Cedarville	1927	7 May 1965	588.3	Self-unloading Bulk carrier	9 April 1927	Sank in the Straits of Mackinac	The Cedarville was a self-unloading freighter that sank in the Straits of Mackinac after being rammed by the M/V Topdalsfjord. Ten of the crew drowned when the ship sank.	45°47′08″N 84°40′08″W
SS Chester A. Congdon	1907	6 November 1918	552	Lake freighter	29 August 1907	Ran aground on Canoe Rocks	The Chester A. Congdon was a steel-hulled bulk carrier that stranded in heavy fog on Canoe Rocks, near Isle Royale.	48°11′36″N 88°30′52″W
SS D.R. Hanna	1906	16 May 1919	552	Lake freighter	20 October 1906	Sank in a collision	The D.R. Hanna was a steel-hulled freighter that sank on 16 May 1919 in a collision with the Quincy A. Shaw north of Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron.
SS James C. Carruthers	1913	9 November 1913	550	Lake freighter	22 May 1913	Foundered on Lake Huron, in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913	The James C. Carruthers was a 550-foot (170 m) long Canadian freighter that foundered in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913.	44.801°N 82.397°W
SS Henry B. Smith	1906	10 November 1913	545	Lake freighter	2 May 1906	Sank in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913	The Henry B. Smith was an American bulk freighter that foundered in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 near Marquette, Michigan. Her wreck was discovered in 2013 by a team of divers led by Jerry Eliason.	46.914°N 87.333°W
SS Emperor	3 May 1911	4 June 1947	525	Lake freighter	17 December 1910	Sank after striking the north side of Canoe Rocks	The Emperor was a Canadian freighter owned by Canada Steamship Lines Ltd. that sank after striking the north side of Canoe Rocks near Isle Royale.	48°12′2″N 88°29′30″W
SS Isaac M. Scott	12 July 1909	11 November 1913	524	Lake freighter	2 July 1909	Capsized on Lake Huron in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913	The Isaac M. Scott was an American bulk carrier that sank on Lake Huron in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. She was discovered in 1976, laying upside down, and half buried in mud under 180-feet (155m) of water.	45°03′N 83°02′W
SS Charles S. Price	1910	9 November 1913	524	Lake freighter	1910	Foundered in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913	The Charles S. Price capsized on Lake Huron in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. She was discovered floating upside down near Port Huron.

See also

• List of shipwrecks of western Lake Superior
• List of Great Lakes shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places

References

1. Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Archived 2009-12-17 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 28 Feb 2009
2. Thompson, Mark L. (2000). Graveyard of the Lakes. Wayne State University Press, Detroit. pp. 17, 18, 22, 315, 317–330. ISBN 978-0-8143-3226-9.
3. 'Spectacularly intact’: 119-year-old shipwreck found near Apostle Islands, DSuluth News Tribune, Andrew Krueger, 13 September 2016
4. "Benjamin Noble Shipwreck Found". Lakesuperior.com. 19 July 2005. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
5. "U.S.S. Essex". Lake Superior Shipwrecks. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
6. J. S. Seaverns (Propeller), sunk, 10 May 1884, Maritime History of the Great Lakes
7. Lake Superior shipwreck discovered, and even the dishes survived, Andrew Krueger, Forum News Service, 2 November 2016],
8. "Great Lakes Vessels Online Index". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
9. Meverden, Keith; Tamara Thomsen (January 2012). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: May Flower - Shipwreck (draft)" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2017. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
10. "Thomas Wilson". Lake Superior Shipwrecks. Minnesota Historical Society. 1996. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
11. Man discovers Lake Huron shipwreck missing since 1913, Jim Schaefer, Detroit Free Press, 9 November 2015
12. "James Davidson". Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA.
13. "Monohansett". Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA.
14. "Typo". Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA.
15. "Dreadnaught (Schooner), U6837, sunk by collision, 1 Sep 1886". images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
16. "Morley, George W." Great Lakes Vessel History. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
17. "Grace Channon". Shipwreck Explorers. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
18. "Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Edmund Fitzgerald". Worldpress Blog. 26 March 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2017. Shipwrecks - SS Milwaukee
19. "Shipwrecks". Retrieved 4 April 2011.
20. Thiel, Julia (27 February 2013). "An endangered piece of history beneath Lake Michigan's surface". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
21. michiganmysteries.com, on 31 January 2020
22. Crews working to identify leak in shipwreck suspected to be the Argo, cleveland.com, 25 October 2015
23. Erica Blake (19 March 2012). "Vanished shipwreck's secret revealed". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
24. "Terrible Disaster--Burning of the Steamer Northern Indiana--Great Loss of Life". Detroit Free Press. 18 July 1856. p. 1. Retrieved 5 January 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
25. 153-year-old shipwreck found in Lake Ontario, Michael Pearson, CNN, 22 October 2015
26. Kohl, C. 1997. Treacherous Waters: Kingston's Shipwrecks. Cris Kohl. Canada. ISBN 0-9681437-0-9
27. Carola, Chris (17 August 2016). "Explorers find 2nd-oldest confirmed shipwreck in Great Lakes". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 August 2016.

External links

• The Great Lakes Shipwreck File, a list maintained by David D. Swayze which details over 4,900 shipwrecks. (Archived by the Wayback Machine.)

Further reading

• Kohl, Cris (2008). The Great Lakes Diving Guide (2nd ed.). West Chicago: Seawolf Communications. ISBN 978-0967997698. Thumbnail histories, descriptions and locations of more than 1,000 Great Lakes shipwrecks located to date.
• Kohl, Cris; Forsberg, Joan (2007). Shipwrecks at Death's Door (1st ed.). West Chicago, IL: Seawolf. ISBN 978-0967997681.. A guide to hundreds of northern Lake Michigan shipwrecks.
• Kohl, Cris (2005). The 100 Best Great Lakes Shipwrecks: Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron (2nd ed.). West Chicago, IL: Seawolf Communications. ISBN 0967997658. Detailed stories of 100 significant shipwrecks, plus, in appendices, brief information about several hundreds more.
• Kohl, Cris (2005). The 100 Best Great Lakes Shipwrecks: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior (2nd ed.). West Chicago, IL: Seawolf Communications. ISBN 0967997666. Detailed stories of 100 significant shipwrecks, plus, in appendices, brief information about several hundreds more.
• Wachter, Georgann & Michael (2003). Erie Wrecks East: A Guide to Shipwrecks of Eastern Lake Erie (2nd ed.). Avon Lake, Ohio: CorporateImpact. ISBN 096613124X. Identifies 110 wreck locations.
• Wachter, Georgann & Michael (2001). Erie Wrecks West: A Guide to Shipwrecks of Western Lake Erie (2nd ed.). Avon Lake, Ohio: CorporateImpact. ISBN 0966131223. Identifies 103 wreck locations.
• Wachter, Georgann & Michael (2007). Erie Wrecks & Lights. Avon Lake, OH: CorporateImpact. ISBN 978-0966131253. Identifies 45 wreck locations.