Shipwreck hunters and divers, what's on your 'list'?

[scubert]

For all of you out there either hunting for shipwrecks or researching them, or just with a wish list to dive them;

What are your top 5 wrecks you'd like to locate around the Milwaukee area? Here my 'dive targets' are in alphabetical order;

1) Ashtabula 90' Schooner - capsized off North Point in 1871

2) George H. Notter 76' Tug - burned with a wrecked schooner in tow in 1861

3) Ida H. Lee 45' Tug - Collided with her tow "Ida" and sank north of harbor in 1874

4) John F. Porter 94' Schooner that capsized off North Point loaded with provisions for a lumber camp in 1855

5) Thomas A. Scott 207' 4 masted Schooner-Barge - Sank near Milwaukee after a collision with the steamer "Avon" in 1880

[DiveCaptDean]

Two that really get my juices flowing:

Ashtabula...logs have this vessel pretty shallow....as a hardhat diver went down on her two days later.....they found it because the masts were sticking out of the water......they of course pulled them down.
I am very surprised that this wreck has not been found.

Senator.....lost off of Port Washington Oct. 31 1929 Where does a 410ft steel ship with 240 brand new Nash autos go without a trace?

I think i could see myself on the lake every minute of everyday looking if i only had a sonar. one can only make so many dissapointing dives chasing blips on a depth sounder. The good news.....I am not sick of it yet!!! By the way Scott...The most recent turned out to be a clay mound and a pile of rocks..
deano

[scubert]

Bummer about your 'hit' turning out to be bottom.

The Ashtabula looks like it could be a good one, but if it's shallower than 40' it has probably suffered the same fate as the Appomatox and so many others. Broken to pieces.

Of course the Senator is the dream find. ;D
240 Nash autos all lined up in rows in the hold. Beautiful. But my guess is that if they haven't found it yet it's probably DEEP!

Too bad the stupid "Marquette" crew didn't keep a more acurate record of where they ran the "Senator" down.

If we are talking 'Dream Wrecks' How about the Jennifer? The Canadian steel freighter that disappeared in 1974 with a cargo of steel plate.

[DiveCaptDean]

Lorna P..right???? I dont have anything on its sinking....i know that it was built of two different ships...1927.??? Where did it go down? My assumption is that it is BIG

Actually, if memory serves..the Ashtabula is recorded as being in 80 some odd feet. Hard to say as all of these old accounts are so in accurrate.....Hell, the Rosinco originally was listed as going down in 400ft.. we know that isnt true..

I agree..the Senator..DEEP DEEP DEEP

We can all dream....Oh yeah...I am always taking donations for the purchase of a new SIDESCAN SONAR!!! ;D

[scubert]

dat's da bunny!

she was recorded as going down 30 miles NE of Milwaukee.
Her crew was rescued by the USCG. Now hopefully the CG would have recorded the loran at the accident site, but who knows. My guess is that she's probably deep as well. It would be weird if she was sitting right next to the Senator on the bottom.

[FreediveWI]

The Ashatabula was reported to have been a regular dive site that was visted by local charter boats back in the 60's. Diver's got old and died but never passed on the numbers- or so the story goes.

There were also, lots, of rumors about the Senator being found some time ago by another old timer who never gave up the numbers. 20 miles off of Port Washington is a big area to cover.

I an tell you that Jerry and I have made many a dive on a clay mound or a HUGE rock on the bottom where we were sure there was a wreck. Since he got his new side scan there having been as many repeats since it is so much more accurate. It is really amazing how some of those clazy mounds can look just like a hull if they are formed in the right way.

There are SO many things to look for that it would be hard to find a place to start. I can say that I have seen some pretty interesting side scan images in the Milwaukee vicinity.

I did get a chance to freedive on some of the new wrecks that Jerry found this spring. It would have been nice if he could have found them about ten years ago- before the zebra mussles started covering everything and took half the fun out of wreck diving.

Jon

[DiveCaptDean]

I too am very impressed with Jerrys new Sidescan unit. I would love for him to jump out to the Milwaukee, and find some railroad cars...He had not done this last i spoke to him about the sonar....but he has been pretty busy finding new wrecks almost daily (it seems) justa short distance from harbor....

There have to be litterally hundreds of wrecks along the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Michigan. I assume many are very deep, thus not being found as yet. There of course, are plenty in the shallows as well yet to be found. This is what makes what we do so damn fun....any day, we could stumble onto something and be the first to dive a site....love that feeling...

The Ashtabula has been dove..i am certain of that...fore sure by hard hat divers....for salvage efforts...I know someone to ask about the possiblities of her being dove in the 60's...I will do so, and see what he knows...I'll keep all posted...This same person has a pretty good chance of knowing the locations of several wrecks, blips,,,etc..he is a little tight with his info, maybe someday.....he has been around on the lake since the 50's, and was one of those original divers...

continue to dream....i will be

deano

[scubert]

I just read another (tertiarry) report that claims the Senator had been found, and dived.

I'm attempting to contact the complier of the book to see who he spoke to or what he read to suggest this.

[scubert]

Still no answer back from the author, but I did spend an interesting hour at the library this morning in the ship archives.

Have two new leads on two different ships I've been researching. One seems very promising, the other a bit vague, but still puts me further than I was.

Deano, any progress on your project?

[DiveCaptDean]

naw, havent been down to the boat since Sat. When i see him, ill talk with him