Comments or thoughts on these wrecks

[jbd]

I havea short list of wrecks that I am considering diving on and would appreciate any thoughts from those who have dove them. I believe most are in Lake Huron.

E.B. Allen
Hetty Taylor
Grecian
D.R. Hanna
Monrovia
Pewabic

Thanks

 

[Barracuda2]

I havea short list of wrecks that I am considering diving on and would appreciate any thoughts from those who have dove them. I believe most are in Lake Huron.

E.B. Allen
Hetty Taylor
Grecian
D.R. Hanna
Monrovia
Pewabic

Thanks

Dove her several years ago. The Monrovia is a great wreck but definitely not for beginners. It's 120 ft. to the top of the wheel house. To do any exploring of the outside of the superstructure you're looking at 130 to 150 ft. Any penetration into the lower portion of the superstructure must be well planned. We dove her on the weekend right after they pulled out a diver three days after he perished. He penetrated on one tank, no lines, without his buddy. He probably got silted out and disorientated and narced in the crew quarters. We charted out with the boat that was the recovery boat. The captain said when he was found, his weight belt was neatly hung over a bunk rail and the rim of his light was removed and laying on the floor. The rest of his light was still attached to his wrist. Be very careful. We happened to check into the same motel that this diver stayed at, and when they became aware that we were divers, their comment was, "I sure hope we don't have a repeat of last week with you guys."
The Grecian, on the other hand, is a piece of cake. I really don't remember many details. We dove her that same weekend. Be safe!

 

[jtivat]

The EB is ok the shell is in tack but the inside is mostly gone and open one dive is all you need. I liked the Grecian a lot it is 100' to the sand and there is some nice moderate penetration. There are three or four way in to the engine/Boiler room but there is still a lot of overhead light coming in from lots of small holes. There is also I small hole in the bow that allows some light penetration. It took about two one hour dives to see everything I wanted to see on this wreck but I would do it again.

The Monrovia is just awesome I had two dives on it and would like one hundred more and will be getting some more next weekend! My first dive on it was just to get oriented and find the ladder going to the boiler room. My next dive was into the boiler room, which is three decks down and quit impressive as the boilers are about three decks high and just massive. There are large chains hanging in front of each boiler and as I touched one about a one-foot chunk of it broke and fell! I was like oh $#it! but it did not silt up much at all. I will spend some more time checking this room out.

Oh ya I lied, my first dive was really I bounce dive to tie in the anchor but as we approached 125' there was no wreck? We had snagged a reel line off the wreck and it was holding the boat! I can’t wait to dive her again.

 

[jbd]

Thanks for the info.

BTW any recommendations of dive operators to use?

 

[diverbrian]

Welcome back up here. I remember you from the Straits.

As to operators, pretty much the only one that I can think of Capt. Randy Johnson out of Alpena, but I am told that there is an operator with a six pack out of Rogers City?

I can add some information on one the wrecks. The Pewabic is nice wreck, but may be a tad deep. My memory says 140-150 ft. to the deck and 165-170 ft. to the mud. I was using mix on that one, but it has been over a year and I was finishing my normoxic tri-mix up, so I was as worried with my skills looking pretty as the dive itself. It is a wooden steamer that was carrying passengers when she collided with her sister ship apparently passing mail between two ships. The arch that provided support for part of the boat is one of the landmarks and where you normally tie in. They have found remains on that wreck to this day as more than 100 people died. Another thing to find in copper ingots. Those were part of the cargo and they lost a couple of salvage divers trying to get those out.

Let me know if you want to set something up for this area. I may be interested in joining you. My normoxic instructor used to have his boat up there, so I dove a lot of the deeper stuff (including out Presque Isle), but would like to take a small group up there again.

 

[alpenadiver]

You can try RJ dives, see if he has any openings, www.rjdives.com. or you can try here www.tbscuba.com, If your around Alpena check out the Maritime Heritage Center (NOAA) they have some awesome pictures ofthe local wrecks, even a beautiful mosiac of the Pewabic, and E.B. Allen,

Mike

 

[jbd]

Thanks for the additional info!!

Brian,
I have noticed that your dive training has progressed nicely. Sadly mine hasn't although I'm hoping to change that in the fairly near future. I want to be able to do some of the deeper GL wrecks and also do some longer dives on the not so deep wrecks. Hopefully this fall or winter I will be able to get the courses done.

 

[SwimJim]

The Hetty Taylor is a schooner down 110 feet near Sheboygan. The stern is smashed up from a botched salvage attempt. The top of the "pilot house" rests on the lake bed next to wreck. Off her stern to the starboard side to be exact. This wreck has a mooring and other then being deepish its a fairly easy dive. The bow spirit and the windlass are intact and are the wrecks best features.
If you are able to go a little deeper I would suggest a trip to the schooner Northerner. She lays in 135 feet(120 to the deck) and is south of Port Washington Wisconsin a few miles. She is upright and mostly intact. Just inshore from her sits the Mahoning. A fillet of Brig that lies in 50 fow. Although broken up, she retains many of her deadeyes, one of her wood stock anchors can still be seen under her bow and there is a steam pump and boiler just off the wreck that was used to try and keep her afloat before she went down.
As long as your in town, a few miles north lies the remains of the steam sidewheeler Niagara. The wreckage is strewn about. She burn't to the waterline and fell apart as she went down. This wreck is also moored. The main hull and the walking beam steam engine lies at the mooring, as well as the remains of the paddle wheels. There is a rope off the base of the mooring that leads north to the boilers. They lie about 300 feet off the wreck. Bring your wreck reel. There are other hull sections to be explored that lie south and southeast of the main wreckage.

Dive safe

Jim

 

[diverbrian]

Thanks for the additional info!!

Brian,
I have noticed that your dive training has progressed nicely. Sadly mine hasn't although I'm hoping to change that in the fairly near future. I want to be able to do some of the deeper GL wrecks and also do some longer dives on the not so deep wrecks. Hopefully this fall or winter I will be able to get the courses done.

It's been too long. Let me know how that training goes. I am about done for now, but am looking at taking a CCR course in the next couple of years as soon as I pick out a CCR to start diving. After that, I plan to do my full tri-mix.

Anyways, if you need extras for your dives, you know where I am !

For a first hand report on the Pewabic, read here . This is a report from my last dive on her.

 

[jbd]

SwimJim and DiverBrian thanks for the info. Beginning to think I just need to move further North