Troubled Waters: Exploring Lake Huron's Shipwrecks

The hour-long drive north to Alpena is worth it when you arrive on time for your Shipwreck Tour in the 488-square-mile Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Instead of fish and sea creatures, though, this sanctuary protects one of America’s best collections of shipwrecks totaling more than 200. I know it sounds a little misleading: a shipwreck tour, on a boat, in a place called Shipwreck Alley is named Thunder Bay and is known to be the Great Lakes’ most treacherous waters. But that was decades and decades ago when sailors could only rely on the soft glow of a lighthouse (or no light at all) to navigate through the rocky shoals, sudden storms, and impenetrable fog that consequently named both Thunder Bay and Shipwreck Alley. Mother Nature may not have changed too much, but advancements in maritime technology have made sailing significantly safer.

The Visitor Center of the sanctuary, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, offers 11,000 square feet of exhibits including a life-size scale replica of a Great Lakes schooner battling a storm as well as a model shipwreck to explore. The 93-seat theater shows films daily while its outdoor pavilions provide a great spot for a picnic and access to the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail.

The Lady Michigan tour boat is a spacious passenger vessel complete with a heated lower deck, cushioned seating, restrooms, and the unique glass bottom feature of the boat making this an unforgettable experience. If the depths get you dizzy, head to the open-air seating on the upper deck and enjoy the weather. But as the Lady Michigan becomes situated directly overhead the remnants of a 100-year-old shipwreck, you’ll want to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the eerie skeletal remains of a maritime vessel like very few ever have. And I assure you, Lady Michigan has no intention to sink. Trained and informed narrators from the National Marine Sanctuary will also provide you with history and information along your tour.

Don’t forget to visit the sanctuary’s gift shop in the visitor center upon your return. Visit Alpena Shipwreck Tours online at their website and plan your visit today.

“Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” -Voltaire

Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center
500 West Fletcher St.
Alpena, MI 49707
888.469.4696