How many ships are buried in Lake Michigan?

Lake Michigan is home to an estimated 1,500 shipwrecks, out of a total of 6,000 in the Great Lakes. Recently, the lake's clear waters have revealed some of them, including James McBride and Rising Sun. Following are some of the most well-known ships that have been lost in Lake Michigan.



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It is estimated that there are nearly 1,500 shipwrecks in Lake Michigan, which in its deepest spot is nearly 1,000 feet deep. While the remains of numerous ships can be found along the shoreline, only about 300 wrecks beyond the surf line have been located.

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Crossing one of North America's greatest waterways could be dangerous and many ships were lost in the Great Lakes due to storms or other accidents. It is estimated that there are over 6,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, some dating back as far as the 17th century.

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“In fact, we think Lake Erie has a greater density of shipwrecks than virtually anywhere else in the world—even the Bermuda triangle.” Because of incomplete record keeping, nobody knows the exact number of shipwrecks that have occurred in Lake Erie, but estimates range from 500 to 2000.

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September 8, 2010 marked the 150th anniversary of the sinking of the Lady Elgin. The worst tragedy ever seen on the Great Lakes, this event looms large in Winnetka and Lake Michigan history. Just before midnight on September 7, 1860, a palatial sidewheel steamboat named the Lady Elgin left Chicago bound for Milwaukee.

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Of course, the most famous Great Lakes shipwreck was that of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, with none of the 29 members of its crew surviving the waters of Lake Superior. And the most deadly event was the 1958 sinking of the Carl Bradley in Lake Michigan, claiming the lives of all but two of 35 shipmates onboard.

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The largest and last major freighter wrecked on the lakes was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank on November 10, 1975. The legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains the most mysterious and controversial of all shipwreck tales heard around the Great Lakes.

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1. Lady Elgin. Lady Elgin sank on September 8th, 1860, and the tragic event represents the greatest loss of life on open water on the Great Lakes. 300 people died when the 252-foot sidewheel steamship was rammed in a gale by the scooner Augusta.

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Unpredictable weather makes them some of the most dangerous waters in the world. Sudden storms, fire, and fog have resulted in the destruction of these many thousands of vessels. Just over twenty percent of those vessels have come to rest on the bottom of Lake Michigan, second only in quantity to Lake Huron.

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The waterway allows passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the inland port of Duluth on Lake Superior, a distance of 2,340 miles (3,770 km) and to Chicago, on Lake Michigan, at 2,250 miles (3,620 km).

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According to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, the lakes have caused the sinking of around 6,000 ships and the death of 30,000 people. However, historian Mark Thompson, the author of Graveyard of the Lakes, has estimated that there are over 25,000 shipwrecks at the bottom of the Great Lakes.

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1. Lady Elgin. Lady Elgin sank on September 8th, 1860, and the tragic event represents the greatest loss of life on open water on the Great Lakes. 300 people died when the 252-foot sidewheel steamship was rammed in a gale by the scooner Augusta.

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Thankfully, very few cruise ships have actually sunk in modern history. Even so, the Titanic's sinking impacted maritime law so much that there are more than enough lifeboats for all passengers and crew onboard any given sailing. Within the last 111 years, over 20 cruise ships and ocean liners have sunk.

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