Moorings Placed at Historic Shipwrecks off Sheboygan
By John Karl
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (7/18/00) — Thanks to the installation of mooring buoys at two shipwrecks a few miles off of Sheboygan last spring, Lake Michigan divers are finding it easy to travel back in time.
The buoys help divers locate and enjoy two “underwater time capsules,” according to underwater archaeologist Jeff Gray of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The buoys were installed by the SHSW.
“The Hetty Taylor and the Seleh Chamberlain allow divers to take a trip back to the 1880s, when schooners and steamers ruled the Great Lakes,” Gray said.
The buoys are part of several initiatives that make up the “maritime trails” program that the State Historical Society of Wisconsin is developing with help from the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. Trails in both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior will educate divers and non-divers alike about the state’s maritime history by featuring shipwrecks, lighthouses, historic dock works, and other maritime resources. Shore-side historic markers, visitors' materials, divers’ guides, and shipwreck moorings will be incorporated into the trails.
The Hetty Taylor and the Chamberlain join four other Wisconsin shipwrecks that are marked by seasonal buoys. In Lake Michigan, buoys mark the Niagara off Port Washington and the Frank O’Connor near Bailys Harbor in Door County. In the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior, buoys help divers locate the Lucerne and the Noquebay.
The large buoys are anchored to the lakebed and protect the wrecks by allowing dive boats to tie directly to the buoys instead of dragging anchors to locate the wrecks, Gray said. Recreational divers will be able to use the lines attached to the buoys for a safe descent to the wrecks.
On August 26, 1880, the Hetty Taylor sailed from Milwaukee to Escanaba, Mich., when the two-masted schooner encountered a heavy squall. The storm overpowered the 84-foot schooner and capsized her about five miles from Sheboygan in 105 feet of water. The gentle capsizing and the protective deep water have spared the Hetty Taylor much of the destruction that befalls ships wrecked in punishing shallow-water environments, Gray said. Today, she sits upright with her bow and portside in excellent condition. Built in 1864, the Hetty Taylor offers divers and archaeologists an exceptional opportunity to explore one of the many small coastal schooners that once connected the communities of Lake Michigan.
The Selah Chamberlain steamed from Milwaukee on October 13, 1886, bound for Escanaba, Mich., for a cargo of iron ore. In a thick fog, the Chamberlain was struck on the port bow by the steamer John Pridgeon Jr. In the ensuing confusion, seven of the Chamberlain’s crew scrambled into one of the ship’s boats, but the gear became fouled and five members fell into the water, never to be seen again. Today much of the Chamberlain’s 212-foot long wooden hull is found resting in 80 feet of water. Her enormous and well-preserved steam engine towers 25 feet above the bottom.
These are just two of hundreds of submerged archaeological sites that can be visited in Wisconsin. More than 700 shipwrecks and thousands of other archaeological sites rest in the 22 percent of the state that lies under water. Besides their historic and archaeological value, many of these sites have tremendous recreational appeal, Gray said.
“Underwater archaeology enables a better understanding of maritime traditions, technology, economics, and culture,” Gray said. “The cold, fresh water of the Great Lakes preserves shipwrecks and other artifacts. By visiting and studying wrecks like the Taylor and Chamberlain, we have rare opportunities for hands-on exploration of history.”
Six shipwrecks in the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, and four in Lake Michigan are featured on a UW Sea Grant-SHSW Web site, “Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks”
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For More Information:
Jeff Gray, State Underwater Archaeologist, State Historical SocietyConceived in 1966, Sea Grant is a national network of 30 university-based programs of research, outreach and education dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the United States' coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. The National Sea Grant Network is a partnership of participating coastal states, private industry and the National Sea Grant College Program , National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration , U.S. Department of Commerce. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is administered by the Sea Grant Institute on the UW-Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin.
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last updated 25 July 2000
posted 25 July 2000 by Karl
http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/communications/news_releases/20000/moorings.html
