Out of the five Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, the only one entirely within the borders of the United States, contains the largest number of shipwrecks, thanks to its past as a major navigational artery. Out of the known shipwrecks in the lake, 69 of them are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, within the waters of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
Shipwrecks
Ship Ship type Build date Sunk date Flag Fate Coordinates Image SourcesAbiahWooden schooner18471854Capsized in a squall on 8 September 1854, while bound from Chicago, Illinois, for Oconto, Wisconsin. Sank near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, while under tow. Wreck located in 2019, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.A. D. PatchinWooden paddle steamer18461850Stranded on Ile Aux Galets on 17 September 1850. Grounding spurred the construction of the Ile Aux Galets Light. Wreck tentatively located in 2014.Adrian IselinSteel canaller19141968Sunk as a breakwater in Frankfort, Michigan, in 1968, with Tampico.AdriaticWooden schooner-barge18891934Tied up and abandoned at a dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in 1927. Burned to the waterline and sank in 1934.AlgosteelSteel bulk freighter19071967Sunk as a breakwater in Burns Harbor, Indiana, in 1967.Alice E. WildsWooden steam barge18831892On 12 June 1892, while bound from Chicago, for Escanaba, Michigan, with a cargo of lumber, Alive E. Wilds encountered a thick fog and was rammed and sunk by the steamer Douglas off Milwaukee, Wisconsin, without loss of life. Wreck located in 2015.AlleghanyWooden steamship18491855Ran aground after losing power in a gale at North Point, near Milwaukee, in October 1855, while headed for that port.AlpenaWooden paddle steamer18661880Left Grand Haven, Michigan, for Chicago, on 15 October 1880, with a cargo of ten rail cars of apples, and approximately 80 people aboard. Sank during "the worst gale in Lake Michigan recorded history" the following day, killing everyone aboard.Alva BradleyWooden schooner18701894Foundered south of North Manitou Island on 13 October 1894, while laden with steel billets.Amasa StoneSteel bulk freighter19051965Sunk as a breakwater in Charlevoix, Michigan, with Charles S. Hebard.AmazonWooden package freighter18731879Ran aground at Grand Haven, on 29 October 1879, while laden with flour and general merchandise.AndasteSteel monitor18921929Departed Ferrysburg, Michigan, for Chicago, with a load of gravel on 9 September 1929. Disappeared during a storm later that day, killing all 25 people aboard.Anna C. MinchSteel bulk freighter19031940Sank near Pentwater, Michigan, on 11 November 1940, during the Armistice Day Storm, killing 24 people.Ann Arbor No. 5Steel ferry1910after 1970Stern section began leaking and sank on the voyage from South Haven, Michigan, for a scrapyard in Holland, Michigan. Wreck discovered in 2005.AppomattoxWooden bulk freighter18961905Stranded off Shorewood, Wisconsin, due to smoke obscuring visibility on 2 November 1905, while laden with coal, and towing the schooner-barge Santiago. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.ArcadiaWooden steam barge18881907Foundered off Big Sable Point between 12 and 24 April 1907, reportedly killing 14 crewmen. Nameboard discovered on 27 April.ArcticWooden tugboat18811930Dismantled and abandoned at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1930. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.AtlantaWooden steamship18911906Burned near Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, while travelling between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Sheboygan, on 18 March 1906. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.AuroraWooden barge18871932Originally built as a bulk freighter. Abandoned in Grand Haven, in 1927, destroyed by fire in 1932.AustralasiaWooden bulk freighter18841896Burned near Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, on 17 October 1896, while bound for Milwaukee, laden with coal. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.BaytonSteel bulk freighter19041966Sunk as a breakwater in Burns Harbor, in 1966.Bessie SmithWooden schooner-barge18731873Blown ashore on the southern tip Beaver Island by a storm on 13 November 1873, while laden with iron ore.BostonWooden paddle steamer18451846Lost power after the loss of her funnels compromised the boiler draft during a storm near Milwaukee on 11 November 1846, and was driven aground.BuffaloWooden barque18371848Blown ashore at the Manitou Islands on 27 September 1848, while laden with lumber.BurlingtonSteel canaller18971936San aground while entering the harbour at Holland, on 6 December 1936, subsequently breaking in two.CalumetWooden bulk freighter18841889Struck her anchor in the Detroit River while upbound from Buffalo, New York, for Milwaukee, with coal, receiving temporary repairs and a steam pump to keep the hull free of water. Began leaking during a storm on Lake Michigan following the pump's failure, beached near Fort Sheridan, Illinois, on 27 November 1889, to prevent her from sinking.Carl D. BradleySteel bulk freighter19271958Broke in two and sank in a severe storm near Gull Island on 18 November 1958, while bound from Gary, Indiana, for Rogers City, Michigan, to load a cargo of limestone, killing 33 of the 35 people aboard.CayugaSteel package freighter18891895Sank in a collision in fog with the wooden steam barge Joseph L. Hurd on 10 May 1895, near Ile Aux Galets, while laden with flour and miscellaneous cargo.C. E. RedfernWooden motor vessel18901937Foundered in a severe gale off Point Betsie on 19 September 1937, while loaded with pulpwood. Wreck located in 2008.Charles HubbardSteel bulk freighter19071966Sunk as a breakwater in Burns Harbor, in 1967.Charles S. HebardSteel bulk freighter19061965Sunk as a breakwater in Charlevoix, with Amasa Stone.Charles Stewart ParnellWooden bulk freighter18881905Burned and sank near Squaw Island on 29 November 1905, while bound for Chicago, with a cargo of coal. Wreck located in 2025.ChicagoWooden steam barge18541882Burned to the waterline and sank near North Fox Island on 25 August 1882, while bound for Chicago, with a cargo of coal.ChicoraWooden package freighter18921895Disappeared during a storm on 21 January 1895, on a return trip from Milwaukee, for St. Joseph, Michigan, after delivering a cargo of flour. Wreck possibly located in 2018.City of BostonWooden steamship18631873Ran ashore near Frankfort, on 20 November 1873, while laden with corn and flour.City of GlasgowWooden barge18911917Broke loose from the tug John Hunsader while headed to Sturgeon Bay, with limestone on 6 October 1917, and stranded on a beach.City of KalamazooWooden barge18921922Wrecked in Little Sturgeon Bay on 5 September 1922, while under tow of the tug Satisfaction. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Wreck originally misidentified as that of the steamer Puritan, the correct identity being established in 2022.City of MadisonWooden steamship18571877Burned and sank off Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 17 August 1877, while bound from Chicago, for Ludington, Michigan, without cargo. Wreck possibly located of Waukegan, Illinois, in of water.Col. EllsworthWooden schooner18611896Sank in a collision in the Straits of Mackinac with the schooner Emily B. Maxwell on 2 September 1896, while unladen, and headed for Chicago.ColumbiaWooden steamship18731881Sank near Frankfort, while bound from Chicago, for Collingwood, Ontario, with a cargo of corn on 10 September 1881, after her cargo shifted in a gale.CongressWooden steam barge18671904Burned near South Manitou Island on 5 October 1904, while unloading lumber.ContinentalWooden bulk freighter18821904Grounded during a snowstorm near Two Rivers, Wisconsin, on 12–13 December 1904, while bound from St. Ignace, Michigan, for Manitowoc, where she was scheduled to receive repairs prior to the 1905 shipping season. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.Daisy DayWooden steam barge18801891Grounded on a sandbar bear Claybanks Township, Michigan, on 11 October 1891, before departing for Milwaukee, with a cargo of lumber. Wreck located in 2003.David DowsWooden schooner18811889Sprang a leak and sank in a storm on 25 November 1889, while under tow of the freighter Aurora, bound for Chicago with a cargo of coal.DelawareWooden steamship18461855Driven ashore in a storm near Sheboygan, on 5 November 1855, killing 11 members of the crew.DolphinWooden schooner18621869Sank in a collision in the Straits of Mackinac, near Waugoshance Light with the barque Badger State on 6 July 1869, while bound from Cleveland, Ohio, for Milwaukee, with a cargo of coal. Wreck located in 2021.Eber WardWooden package freighter18881909Sank in the Straits of Mackinac on 9 April 1909 after striking floating ice while bound from Milwaukee, for Port Huron, Michigan, with a cargo of corn.Empire StateWooden barge18621916Abandoned in Sturgeon Bay, in 1916, burned to the waterline in 1931. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.E. M. B. A.Wooden schooner-barge18901932Scuttled outside Milwaukee, on 15 December 1932. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.EquinoxWooden steamship18571875Foundered off Big Sable Point on 10 September 1875, while laden with salt, killing 25 people.Erie L. HackleyWooden excursion steamer18821903Departed Menominee, Michigan, for Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, on 3 October 1903; carrying general merchandise, red bricks, and 19 people. Ran into a storm and sank about an hour later, killing 11 people.E. R. WilliamsWooden schooner18731895Foundered in a gale off St. Martin Island on 22 September 1895, while bound from Escanaba, for Toledo, with a cargo of iron ore, in tow of the steamer Santa Maria.FalconWooden bulk freighter18811909Grounded on South Fox Island on 7 November 1909, while bound from Escanaba, for East Jordan, Michigan, with iron ore.F. J. KingWooden schooner18671886Sprang a leak and sank in a storm on 15 September 1886, while bound from Escanaba, for Chicago, with a cargo of iron ore. Wreck located in 2025, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2026.FletcherWooden bulk freighter18731880Driven aground on South Fox Island by a storm on 21 November 1880, while from Chicago, for Buffalo, with corn.Flora M. HillIron package freighter18741912Crushed by ice outside Chicago, on 11 March 1912, while carrying brass automotive headlamps and passengers.FlorettaWooden schooner18681885Foundered near Centerville, Wisconsin, on 18 September 1885 after developing a leak during poor weather, while bound from Escanaba, for Chicago, with iron ore. Wreck listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.Fountain CityWooden bulk freighter18571896Burned while docked in Sturgeon Bay, on 5 May 1896.Francisco MorazanSteel ocean freighter19221960Ran aground on South Manitou Island on 29 November 1960, due to a blinding snowstorm, while bound from Chicago, for Rotterdam, and Hamburg.Francis HintonWooden steam barge18891909Sprang a leak during a gale while bound from Manistique, Michigan, for Chicago, with a cargo of lumber on 16 November 1909. Ran aground while seeking shelter in Two Rivers. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.Frank L. VanceWooden bulk freighter18871910Burned to the waterline and sank mid-lake, southwest of Ludington, on 4 October 1910, while bound from Toledo, for Milwaukee, with a cargo of coal.Frank O'ConnorWooden bulk freighter18921919Burned to the waterline and sank near Cana Island on 3 October 1919, while laden with coal, bound from Buffalo, for Milwaukee, with a cargo of anthracite coal.