Detroit

Detroit

  • Location:

    Harbor Beach
  • Sunk:

    May 25, 1854
  • Depth:

    200 feet
  • Cost:

    $195
  • Dive it From:

    Go Between

Built in 1846 and owned/operated by E.B. Ward, the Detroit was a sidewheel paddle steamer that was primarily used by a company in building the Sault Saint Marie Canal. She served diligently for 8 years until she met her fate in a collision with the sailing ship, Nucleus. The day the ship sank, May 25, 1854, it was northbound from Detroit with two lumber scows in tow, with most of the ship’s cargo for the Sault Canal Co. McGreevy said it was a collision in thick fog that sank the wooden steamer. There was some scandal surrounding the wreck of the Detroit as the ship’s bell went missing sometime between 2005 and 2006. Currently, the Detroit sits 200 feet below the waves of Lake Huron and is a sight to behold for those divers with the experience and technical training to venture to the depths in which she lies. We visit the Detroit from Harbor Beach on the Go-Between.*Special thanks to Robert McGreevy for the use of his artwork for this shipwreck*