The Graveyard of the Great Lakes comprises the southern shore of Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Michigan, and Whitefish Point, though Grand Island has been mentioned as a western terminus. More ships have wrecked in this area than any other part of Lake Superior.
Over 200 wrecks are in the area of Whitefish Point of the 550 wrecks in Lake Superior. For a distance west of Whitefish Bay, there are no natural harbors in which ships can "ride out" storms. Also, as late as the 20th century, weather prediction was extremely unreliable, "a haphazard process, very imprecise and unreliable." A ship might have no idea of the weather into which it was sailing, or the weather coming at it.
These shipwrecks are now protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.
History
After the St. Lawrence Seaway was constructed, all inter-lake traffic on Lake Superior went at least near Whitefish Point.
Storms that claimed multiple ships include the Mataafa Storm in November 1905 and the Great Lakes Storm of 1913.
Due to the cold and fresh water, wrecks are often in quite good condition even after centuries underwater.
A documentary has been made, about the Graveyard of the Great Lakes, as had a piece on Apple TV.
A few shipwrecks in the Graveyard of the Great Lakes
129
Independence
Lambton
Miztec
John M. Osborn
SS Comet
SS Cyprus
SS D.M. Clemson
SS Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship to ever wreck on the Great Lakes
SS Indiana
SS John B. Cowle
SS John Mitchell
SS M.M. Drake
SS Myron
SS Vienna
SS Western Reserve
Another such place is known as "Shipwreck Alley," which is a area of the Lake Huron shoreline that holds an estimated 200 shipwrecks.
See also
Amboy and George Spencer Shipwreck Sites
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Lake-effect snow
List of storms on the Great Lakes
Munising, Michigan
Soo Locks
Vermilion Point
Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Point Light Station
Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
References
External links and references
Lake Superior Marine Museum Association
A Century-Old Mystery Surfaces From Lake Superior
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
National Geographic article, "Road Trip: Shipwreck Coast, Michigan" Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve 130 years after it sank, well-preserved wreckage of ship found in Lake Superior Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Graveyard Of The Great Lakes (1988), a YouTube video