Hi, I thought you guys and gals might enjoy this:
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I organized for a group of her Advanced Scuba Rangers, kids aged 8-12 certified through Bruno's Dive Shop, to come on board the Great Lakes Diver to explore the wreck of the Charles A. Street.
We had visited the site about a month earlier to confirm that our GPS coordinates were correct and that it was suitable, which they were and it was! The day was perfect, with little wind and only a few ripples on Lake Huron, as has been the case for most of the season through mid-August. The Rangers were layered up in a couple of 3mm suits, used Sherwood regulators, Genesis Cobra BC's and 40cfu pony bottles as their main tanks!
They did one 20-30 minute dive on the wreck and then we took the boat out a little way and taught them how to 'egg dive' from the cabin roof. We then took them back to the Harbor for lunch.
Pictures from the day can be seen on Bruno's Flickr Photostream: The Charles Street
I pulled together the following historical information from various sources, with many thanks once again to Ray TinyBubbles for his amazing resources!
The Charles Street is a 165' wooden propellor-driven steam barge, built by Duncan Robertson's shipyard in Grand Haven, Michigan, for William H. Loutit, a successful businessman in the area. Launched in 1888, her home port was New Baltimore, Michigan, from where she was usually employed as a 'lumber hooker'.
On July 20, 1908, the Charles A. Street was down bound on Lake Huron, heading for Toledo, Ohio, after delivering coal to Stugeon Bay, Wisconsin. She had three vessels in tow, all without cargo. At 11PM the captain heard the fire alarm souding. The crew attempted to extinguish the fire but to no avail; they eventually cut the barges free. One of the barges, J. Godfrey, hauled to windward and rescued the crew from the Charles A. Street, at great hazard to themselves, leaving the Street to run aground on a shallow shoal very close to shore, near Forrester, Michigan.
Today, only a relatively small aft section of the Charles A. Street remains. In little more than 10' of water her impressive gearing and stern come within inches of the Lake surface. Decking and sections of hull extend a little way but most of the ship has dissappeared. Locals report that timbers have been washing ashore sporadically for years, usually following a storm.
If you would like to dive (or snorkel!) the Charles A. Street, or any other wrecks in the Sanilac Shores Preserve, then please do not hesitate to get in touch, especially if you have never been diving on any Great Lakes wrecks before. The Preserve protects wrecks in depths ranging from 10' through 117', with many suitable for complete beginners, including Open Water students doing their check-out dives. If an 8 year old can do it then you certainly can!
Thanks,
Rick
