ADVANCED/TECH DIVING INSTRUCTION

Favourite Great Lakes Shipwrecks

The DUNDERBERG

Schooner

Enrollment number 142

187' x 33'

596 tons

History

Off the coast of Michigan's thumb and preserved by the cold, dark waters of the lake, 150 feet below the surface lies a jewel of Lake Huron, the Dunderberg.

Launched at Detroit in 1867, she was a three-masted schooner and grossed 596 tons with a length of 187' and a beam of 33', large by 1860's standards. She sailed her maiden voyage on June 20, 1867 captained by Charles Green. She was in service only 14 months before her sinking.

Downbound from Chicago to Detroit with a cargo of 40,000 bushels of corn, a crew of 10 and 6 passengers for a pleasure cruise, she was stove in by the steamer Empire State on a clear and starlit night. Subsequent manslaughter charges were laid, as one female passenger on the Dunderberg was lost.

Current Description

One hundred and thirty feet aft of the bow on the starboard side, the impact has sliced a wedge-shaped section from the deck to the bottom of the planks, with an 8' section of rail missing.

Penetration below-decks into the hold area is possible, and everywhere evidence of the quality of this ship is evident, from the carved railings to the intricate oak carvings under the catheads. The rails are crowded with deadeyes and belaying pins.

The massive mizzen and main masts are still standing but the mizzen is broken at 15' and the main at 30'. The foremast rests on the port rail and runs to the clay bottom.

Intact and upright, the aft cabin has collapsed but the main deck is solid and the caulking between the oak planks is evident.

The most incredible feature of this ship is the intricate carving lying beneath the massive 60' bowsprit.

Dunderberg's Figurehead (45K)

With a length extending 6', an alligator head blends into carved designs of foliage, leaves, curled branches and grapes. This breathtaking carving, in itself, is well worth a visit to the wreck.

As renowned author and wreck-diver, Gary Gentile, notes in his book Wreck diving Adventures:

"Never before, in a career of diving that spans two decades, have I been so awed by a shipwreck, or have I felt such a thrill under water. That a grand representation of nineteenth century architecture should exist in a state of perfect preservation in the cold, fresh water of a lake was literally beyond belief."

Underwater Photographs

Burbot on Dunderberg's Rail (22K)

Dunderberg Deadeyes (30K)

FAVOURITE GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECKS

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Article by Barbara Marshall