Shipwreck Tours of Lake Superior

We took a drive up to Munising, Michigan to spend a day on Lake Superior. We were up and on the road by 6:30 am. The time changed from central to eastern at Escanaba. We arrived in Munising at 9:30 eastern time and began to explore the area. We had all morning to check things out. 

We'd been through Munising twice before; both times aboard our Albert 35, Mystic. We anchored at Grand Island in Murray Bay where the water is deep almost to the shoreline. The last time we anchored there we were on our America's Great Loop adventure. We woke to our boat bouncing on the shoreline after the wind changed and swung our stern onto the shallows. It was 1:00 in the morning but we lifted our anchor and moved to a spot where we wouldn't swing toward shore. It was right next to the wreckage of the sailing vessel Bermuda.

Our dock friends, John and Kitty invited us to join them on a glass bottom shipwreck tour. The ferry, Miss Munising, would takes us to visit two wreckages; the Bermuda, a 150 foot wooden schooner that sank at Murray Bay in 1870 with five crew members aboard. Everyone perished. The second wreckage, the Herman H Hettler, a 206 foot wooden steamer, sank near Trout Point off Grand Island. The Hettler hit a rock reef and broke in half. All 17 crew members aboard were rescued. Over the next few days, a storm destroyed what remained of the Hettler and spread it over a large area.

The Bermuda
photo from Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours website

The Herman Hettler
photo from Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours website

Miss Munising, left the dock promptly at 2:30 and took us out to Grand Island and into Murray Bay where the Bermuda sits in about 30 feet of water and is marked by a buoy. The ferry slowly moved over the wreckage, stopping so we could see key points of the fully intact ship.

Miss Munising

Friends Katie and Sam
at glass bottom viewing station

Viewing station on Miss Munising

First view of the Bermuda in 30 feet of water

Bermuda wreckage marker

Bow of Bermuda coming into view

Deck planks

Bulwark

Bermuda hatch

We passed the Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse on our way out to the wreckage of the Hettler. This made for a great photo opportunity. First in operation in 1867, it is said to be the most photographed lighthouse on the Great Lakes. It is the last wooden lighthouse on the great lakes. The Munising Front Range Light marks the channel these days. The beacon light changes color to indicate that an approaching vessel is oriented correctly to navigate safely through the hidden shoals. It was built in 1908, erected in the town of Munising overlooking the East Channel. It works in conjunction with the Munising Rear Range Lighthouse. When the two red beacon lights line up, they create a safe path or range for a vessel to successfully pass through the narrow channel.

Our ferry moved closer to Grand Island where the shoreline was made of cliffs with distinct layers of different rock types. Caves were cut into the cliffs by wave motion over thousands of years. The water was crystal clear. Our captain brought us to a tiny beach dug into the rock and slowly navigated into the cage beach. Water dripped down from the ledges above. 

East Channel

Rocky shoreline of Grand Island

Layers of rock creating patterns

Thousands of years created this beach

Distinct blended rocks

Grand Island shoreline

Caves carved into the rock

Rock layers

Miss Munising entering the cave beach

Our friend Kitty getting a closer look

Kitty taking photos of the cave beach

Trees growing out of the rocks

The cave beach

Rock outcropping

Next, we motored over to Trout Point where we were able to view the remains of the shattered Herman Hettler. In spite of the damage, we could recognize hatches, bolts, sections of decking and a toilet. It was amazing that everyone survived this tragedy.

Deck Planks

Ships toilet seat cover on the right

Porthole

Ships wheel

Hatch

Scattered pieces of the massive ship

We enjoyed the day immensely. Lake Superior is beautiful and has a lot to offer visitors. We packed a lot into our adventure but there is so much more to see and do. We look forward to our next visit!