SS Kamloops Lake Superior

[ACHiPo]

Just came across this and thought others might find it interesting. The wreck of the SS Kamloops in Lake Superior and its well-preserved partial crew corpses at the bottom.

Spooky Lake Superior: The SS Kamloops | Great Lakes Now

Just in time for Halloween, learn about the SS Kamloops — an eerie story about a shipwreck in Lake Superior, and “Old Whitey” who seems to follow divers around the wreck.

www.greatlakesnow.org

 

[eelpout]

I heard that "Old Whitey" was taken and sunk in deeper water a couple of years ago.

 

[Nosmosis]

It's on my bucket list. Next year!

 

[Jared0425]

Just came across this and thought others might find it interesting. The wreck of the SS Kamloops in Lake Superior and its well-preserved partial crew corpses at the bottom.

Spooky Lake Superior: The SS Kamloops | Great Lakes Now

Just in time for Halloween, learn about the SS Kamloops — an eerie story about a shipwreck in Lake Superior, and “Old Whitey” who seems to follow divers around the wreck.

www.greatlakesnow.org

There's only one in the engine room. Most of the crew escaped and died on the Isle Royale.

I heard that "Old Whitey" was taken and sunk in deeper water a couple of years ago.

Nope he's still there and hasn't moved. It was on the Emperor in the 1990s where two crewmembers were buried off the wreck.

 

[tr3a]

There's only one in the engine room. Most of the crew escaped and died on the Isle Royale.

Nope he's still there and hasn't moved. It was on the Emperor in the 1990s where two crewmembers were buried off the wreck.

Actually in the 1970's

 

[Jared0425]

Actually in the 1970's

Nope. Because John Stoneman came to Lake Superior in 1989 and filmed the Emperor and the two crewman were still in the engine room. Then in 1994 the national park service blew them apart accidentally with a rov thruster wash and then that's when they were put to rest off the wreck.


You can see one at 20:32

 

[tr3a]

Nope. Because John Stoneman came to Lake Superior in 1989 and filmed the Emperor and the two crewman were still in the engine room. Then in 1994 the national park service blew them apart accidentally with a rov thruster wash and then that's when they were put to rest off the wreck.


You can see one at 20:32

Then those were 2 crewman that were found later.
The one I am familiar with was found in 1975, I believe it was on the July 4th weekend (need to get out my logs for exact date). This was a complete body.
1976 several members of the club tried to see if the owners of the boat wanted to recover the remains, No interest, but the Park service made a botched recovery attempt.
Either late summer 1976, or 1977 one of the club members went back and disposed of the body in deeper water (was not there for that part).

 

[Jared0425]

Then those were 2 crewman that were found later.
The one I am familiar with was found in 1975, I believe it was on the July 4th weekend (need to get out my logs for exact date). This was a complete body.
1976 several members of the club tried to see if the owners of the boat wanted to recover the remains, No interest, but the Park service made a botched recovery attempt.
Either late summer 1976, or 1977 one of the club members went back and disposed of the body in deeper water (was not there for that part).

You are correct on the first body. I just talked to Ken Merryman who was diving it since 1975. Our very own scubaboard member Scott McWilliams took a bag down and put the victim in it and took it off the fantail. By the 80s the remains had disappeared. The other victims were located behind the engine in 1985ish and removed 10 years later after the ROV incident.

 

[rjack321]

Just came across this and thought others might find it interesting. The wreck of the SS Kamloops in Lake Superior and its well-preserved partial crew corpses at the bottom.

Spooky Lake Superior: The SS Kamloops | Great Lakes Now

Just in time for Halloween, learn about the SS Kamloops — an eerie story about a shipwreck in Lake Superior, and “Old Whitey” who seems to follow divers around the wreck.

www.greatlakesnow.org

I would not say he's well preserved. I will spare you the sad and potentially gruesome details. Most folks peek at him once and leave that engine space respectfully. Filming him is definitely not done by anyone I've ever been on the boat with

 

[rx7diver]

I dove Kamloops a couple of times beginning ca. 1996. It is a neat shipwreck. At that time the corpse, such as it was, was unreachable, but visible through the engine room grate. And, yes, the term I heard used at that time to describe its appearance is "saponified", as mentioned in the linked article.

It is a cold dive, though not as cold as a dive on the Chisholm Engine (which is situated a bit of distance away from the island).

We were diving air (IANTD Advanced Deep Air) for our bottom gas at that time for these deeper-than-200 ffw Kamloops dives. I had always thought I would return someday to dive Kamloops using tri-mix.

ETA: Remembering my old dream of diving Kamloops on tri-mix was one of the reasons, after I purchased my Faber LP50's, that I started my thread (Question - Question for Experienced O2ptima CM Divers) pertaining to diving the CM Optima rebreather using baby doubles.

rx7diver