Launched proudly by the Detroit Dry Dock Company in 1873, the Wells Burt was a massive three-masted schooner measuring 201 feet in length with a 33-foot beam. Thanks to her impressive size, she had the capacity to carry up to 50,000 bushels of corn! The Wells Burt saw duty as a bulk carrier on the Great Lakes for exactly a decade.
In May 1883, while en route from Buffalo to Chicago, the ship was caught in a furious storm that reportedly produced wave spray over 100 feet high. The savage weather disabled her steering gear, leaving her completely at the mercy of the lake. Tragically, the Wells Burt succumbed to the depths that night, taking all 11 members of her crew with her.
Rediscovered over a century later in 1988, she now rests fully intact in 40 feet of water. Today, she serves as a fantastic dive site, perfect for new divers looking for an accessible underwater adventure to build their experience on. We visit the Wells Burt out of Hammond Marina.
