Diving into the Past

article

and photos by BECKY KAGAN SCHOTT

When it comes to exploring shipwrecks, each of the ve Great Lakes has something special to o er. There are wooden schooners and sidewheelers, steamers and giant steel freighters with a rich history of shipping – and then unfortunate disasters that sent thousands of ships to their nal resting place.

As a professional underwater photographer, I’ve traveled around the world to incredible places, but my favorite location is the Great Lakes because of the preserved shipwrecks that sit on the lake bottoms. My goal is to shoot powerful imagery to go along with the powerful stories of tragedy, survival and mystery that surround these lost ships.

Every summer, my friend and dive buddy Jitka Hanakova and I dive di erent areas around the Great Lakes, from remote places such as Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, to more popular areas such as the Straits of Mackinac.

I had heard about the wreck of the SS Lakeland just o Sturgeon Bay for almost a decade, so this past summer, Jitka and I planned to take her boat down the coast for a week, starting with a few days in Sturgeon Bay.

The Lakeland, built in 1887, was one of the rst 300-footlong steel freighters on the Great Lakes. During the early

1920s, it was converted into a passenger ship and automobilecarrying vessel that was able to transport up to 250 cars.

On the calm morning of Dec. 3, 1924, the Lakeland sprang a leak 15 miles east of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal entrance. Captain John T. McNeeley tried to make it back to shore, but the vessel sank nine miles out. The crew of 27 boarded lifeboats and was picked up by the Ann Arbor No. 6, an automobile and train car ferry.

It is said that the stern hit the bottom rst; then the ship broke apart in the middle, bursting air chambers, blowing o the cabins and hatches, and throwing wreckage 40 feet into the air. Members of the Coast Guard were already on-site and watched as the last lights icked and the Lakeland disappeared below the surface.

It was alleged that the sinking was possibly due to foul play for an insurance payout, but that was never proven. Sixteen insurance companies took the owners, Thompson Transit Company of Cleveland, to court to try to claim that the captain and company purposely sank the ship for the insurance money. Thompson Transit Company eventually prevailed in the case.

Today the wreckage sits on the lake bottom under 200-plus feet of water, broken in half, but its cargo is mostly intact. The Lakeland sank with possibly 40-50 cars aboard, but there are varying accounts regarding the exact number. There were about two dozen 1924 and new-model 1925 Nash and Kissel cars, along with one Rollin, which was unusual because the Ohio company made them only from 1923 to 1925 before it went bankrupt.

Cars are still parked inside the cargo holds, and some are piled up where the ship broke apart. One Kissel is sitting just o the wreck on the lake bed. They are so well preserved that they look as though they could be pulled up and driven away. Another interesting sight is the cargo elevator near the break. The ship is upright and mostly intact, making for a great technical dive.

The rst dive we did was on a very calm day – probably similar to the day when the Lakeland sank. We dropped down through dark and somewhat murky green water, which didn’t look promising at rst. Then at about 80 feet, the visibility cleared up dramatically. As we descended, we could see the stern materialize below us, and the remains of a smokestack and triple-expansion steam engine became visible.

We made three dives to the wreck, but I could have spent a week there because there was so much to explore. Each dive lasted about 35 minutes on the wreckage, followed by 75 minutes of decompression time courtesy of the great depth. We used closed-circuit rebreathers and mixed gases for safety and to extend our bottom times.

Of all the shipwrecks I’ve dived in the Great Lakes, the Lakeland has the most mono lament shing line, ropes and nets covering it, which can be dangerous to divers at such deep depths. For this reason, I’d encourage anyone who’s diving it to take metal cutting shears and a dive buddy in case of entanglement.

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, only one Rollins car was attempted to be salvaged in 1979, but it ended up being trashed because of serious problems while salvaging it. The brass steam whistle was restored, however, and is on display at the Door County Maritime Museum.

There are a few Great Lakes shipwrecks that have an automobile on them, but the number of preserved cars on the Lakeland is what makes it so special. It’s like going back in time and seeing a piece of history with your own eyes.

Bringing Shipwrecks to Life

Through Nov. 6, 2023

Riverside Gallery, Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc

The photography of writer and photographer Becky Kagan Schott is on display this year in a special exhibit at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc. She brings Great Lakes shipwrecks to life through her vivid photography, taking viewers into a submerged world that few can access, and diving even deeper with 3D shipwreck models and interactive exhibits. Numerous artifacts from these shipwrecks are also on display for the first time. Learn more at wisconsinmaritime.org.