Shipwreck Tours

pic from: www.mackinawinfo.com

   If you find yourself in Munising, Michigan, with some an afternoon to spare, may I suggest going on the Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tours.  This is one of the most incredible tours I have ever experienced, the shipwrecks you are able to see, and the view from the boat is breathtaking.


 You start off the tour by boarding Miss Munising, a 60's Coast Guard certified steel vessel equipped with a hull glass viewing area. This is a fully narrated 2-hour boat tour that begins from Munising Bay and travels and to different shipwrecks, all resting in the shallow waters of Lake   Superior.

pic from: www.munising.org

The first wreck you come to is the Bermuda.  It is a 150ft wooden schooner that sank in the mid 1800s.  It lies just 12 feet below the surface.  Because the water of Lake Superior is so cold, it keeps the Bermuda from decomposing, so it still looks like it did over a century ago.  This is an excellent spot for scuba diving and checking out ship wrecks.

The second wreck that you come to is The Old Scow Schooner, a 150' section of the wooden schooner lies close to shore along the Grand Island thumb. This was a cheaply build vessel with a flat bottom, flat sides, and a square bow and stern.

pic from: www.uptravel.com

The Final shipwreck that you come to is the Herman H. Hettler.  It was seeking shelter in the Munising Harbor in November of 1926, when it slammed into a reef .  It was bound for Duluth carrying 1,100 tons of bulk table salt.

While you are going along on the tour, you will see some of the most beautiful cliffs and rock formations in the area.  A must see if you are in the area!

pic from: www.exploringthenorth.com

For more information please visit the following website:

http://shipwrecktours.com/

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Light House

Are you a big fan of shipwrecks?  Do you enjoy the history of Ships past and how or why they wrecked?  Ever wonder what all was recovered from the famous wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald?  The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point Michigan, just North of Paradise may be of interest to you.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

The Whitefish Point Light Station was built in 1861 and is the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. It has stood guard on the eastern end of an 80 mile shoreline known as Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast for over 150 years. There are at least 200 of the 550 known major shipwrecks on Lake Superior that lie within or near Whitefish Bay. The most famous of these shipwrecks, the Edmund Fitzgerald, laid to rest 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in 1975. The Great Lake Shipwreck
Museum displays the rich maritime history of the region.

bell from The Edmond Fitzgerald

The keepers Quarters Dwelling attached to the light has been fully restored and is open for tours.  It was constructed in 1861 at the order of President Lincoln.  The exhibits inside reflect the life of the light-keeper and his family at the turn of the century.


One of the guard stations was transformed into the Shipwreck museum that has all kinds of exhibits that were recovered from shipwrecks in the area.  There is an entire section dedicated to the Edmond Fitzgerald.  In 1995, the Bell was recovered from the Edmond Fitzgerald, which now is on display as a memorial to her lost crew.




                                                                            
For More information please visit:
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/shipmus/shipmuseum.html  or http://www.exploringthenorth.com/whitefish/whitefish.html


Pictures from above sites as well as:
 http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/memorial-ceremony-127/