SS Wisconsin Photomosaic
Those of you looking for a pre-divemap for diving the Wisconsin, you may be interested in what Keith (aka Kevin) Meverden has put together for the Historical Society.
And for those interested, here's a press release on the matter:
Quote:FOR RELEASE: July 25, 2007
For More Information:
Paul Bentley, Volunteer Coordinator, (414) 218-2830 (cell phone)
Keith Meverden, Marine Archaeologist, Wisconsin Historical Society, (608) 221-5909
John Karl, Science Writer, Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, (608) 263-8621
Editors Note: High resolution photos for this story are available for downloading at
Underwater Archaeologists Investigate Historic Shipwreck, Present Results at Kenosha Public Museum
Kenosha, Wis. (July 25, 2007) ? Divers from the Wisconsin Historical Society hope to learn more about the fate of one of the state's underwater treasures July 29 - August 4, when they investigate the wreck of the S.S. Wisconsin near Kenosha. They will present preliminary findings of their investigation at 7:00 p.m., August 2, at the Kenosha Public Museum.
The Wisconsin, a workhorse on Lake Michigan for 48 years, sank in stormy seas on October 29, 1929. Nine crewmen, including the captain, were lost. The ship itself remains upright in 130 feet of water, seven miles southeast of Kenosha.
The divers will be looking for explanations of why she began taking on water two days before she sank.
State Underwater Archaeologist Meverden believes the answer has to do with a major modification made to the ship?s hull in 1907. While being rebuilt after a severe fire, the ship?s hull was widened by inserting a six-foot section along her entire length.
That modification developed a leak sixteen years later, and extensive welding was needed to repair it.
?They were clearly having trouble with that modification,? Meverden said. ?We think it might ultimately have caused the loss of the Wisconsin. We hope our investigation will find out for sure.?
The archaeologists will also carefully document details of the ship?s construction, and will nominate the vessel to the National Register of Historic Places, Meverden said.
When the Wisconsin was launched in Detroit in 1881, she was one of the most expensive, lavish, and technologically advanced steamers ever built by the Goodrich Steamboat Company, then one of the largest and longest-lived shipping lines on the Great Lakes. She was the first vessel with iron decks on the lakes, and among the first with an iron hull. She had a double iron bottom with a water ballast system designed to steady her when cargo loads were unusually heavy or light. The rounded bottom of her bow was designed to ride up on and crush thick Lake Michigan ice.
For nearly a half century, the Wisconsin carried passengers and package freight across Lake Michigan, eliminating the long rail route around the lake and the chokepoint of Chicago. The Wisconsin had four names during her long career, lost one of her owners in the Titanic sinking, and was used as a convalescent hospital ship during World War I.
Cargo on board the Wisconsin includes a cargo tractor, cargo carts, and boxes of package freight. A young Henry Ford may have helped build the vessel, but the only cars in the hold are a Hudson car, Essex, and a Chevrolet.
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