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The Great Lakes, spanning over 152,800 square kilometers (95,000 square miles) and containing a massive 27.3 quadrillion liters (6 quadrillion gallons) of water, hold the title of the largest freshwater system on the planet. Beneath its surface, more than 170 species of fish (and potentially a Loch Ness-style creature) dwell, while the waters have been the final resting place for over 6,000 ships.
But it's not just sunken ships that rest on the lakebeds. Explore this list of truly odd and remarkable finds beneath the Great Lakes' sandy floors.
10. A Steam Engine from 1910
In June of 1910, a rockslide caused the derailment of Canadian Pacific Railroad locomotive 694 as it made its way along the sea cliffs of Lake Superior near Marathon, Ontario. The engine, several boxcars, and a tender car plunged into the lake, claiming the lives of three men and coming to rest at a depth of 18.3 meters (60 feet).
The wreckage lay undisturbed for 106 years until it was discovered by shipwreck hunters in 2016. It remains the only known locomotive wreck in the Great Lakes.
9. The World’s Largest Unaltered Collection of Nash Cars
Why are these cars considered “unaltered”? Well, for one, they’re nearly 500 feet underwater, making it a bit difficult to modify them with the latest suspension systems.
On October 31, 1929, the SS Senator departed Milwaukee bound for Detroit, carrying 268 Nash cars valued at $251,000 (around $3.8 million in 2020). In a dense fog, the ship was struck by another vessel, sinking in just eight minutes. As it came to rest 131 meters (430 feet) below Lake Michigan's surface, seven members of the 28-person crew tragically lost their lives in the freezing waters.
The wreck was found in 2005 using a side sonar scanner, revealing that while the cars originally secured on deck were crumpled on their sides, the vehicles inside the ship remained remarkably well-preserved. While it’s unclear whether the ship was carrying 1929 or 1930 models, this is widely considered the largest collection of unmodified Nash automobiles ever discovered. In 2016, the wreck site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
8. Michigan’s Own Stonehenge
In 2007, underwater archaeologists using sonar equipment to search for shipwrecks uncovered a circular arrangement of stones 40 feet deep beneath Lake Michigan. Often referred to as a “miniature Stonehenge” by local media, the stones stand at 1.25 meters (4 feet) tall, making them shorter than the famous megalithic structure, yet their origin remains just as enigmatic.
It is believed that the formation was constructed by the region’s Indigenous peoples, possibly during the last Ice Age when the lakebed was still dry. One of the rocks even bears a potential depiction of a mastodon, a woolly creature thought to have vanished from the area around 10,000 years ago. Confirming the authenticity of this image could help determine the formation’s true age.
At present, the purpose of these stones remains unclear, although another similar structure has been discovered on Beaver Island, further north and located on dry land. The existence of this second formation suggests that the stones were deliberately arranged rather than being a random occurrence.
7. An Ancient Hunting Camp
A formation of stones, believed to have been used for hunting, was discovered in Lake Huron at a depth of approximately 36.5 meters (120 feet) along the Alpena-Amberley Ridge, stretching from Northeast Michigan to Southern Ontario. Nine thousand years ago, lake levels were about 76.2 meters (250 feet) lower than today, and archaeologists believe the ridge, flanked by water, provided hunters of migrating caribou a strategic advantage.
Using a remotely operated vehicle and sonar, researchers found two parallel stone lines along the ridge, which ended in a way that would have trapped the caribou. Additional V-shaped stone formations were scattered along the path, likely serving as hunting blinds. Divers at the site also uncovered artifacts that may have been used by indigenous peoples to sharpen and repair their hunting tools.
6. Rare World War II Fighter Planes
The Douglas Dauntless, a World War II fighter plane, was said to be able to take 200 bullets and still bring its pilot home safely. Few survived the battles, and today only 14 of the nearly 6,000 planes produced between 1939 and 1944 remain.
However, there are roughly 75 of them resting at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Believing the lake was far enough from potential attacks, the U.S. Navy began training World War II carrier pilots there in 1942. It launched its first aircraft from the USS Wolverine, which, at 167 meters (550 feet) in length, was shorter than the average aircraft carrier. The idea was that if a pilot could land on this smaller deck, he could land on any deck in the U.S. Navy.
The training program was largely successful, producing 35,000 new pilots who completed over 120,000 successful landings. However, there were also “misses.” According to U.S. Navy records, 128 planes were lost, and over 200 accidents occurred. Most of these resulted in only minor injuries, and the Douglas Dauntless planes were typically only salvaged for repair if they sank in shallow waters.
Recovery efforts for the aircraft began in May 2004, and today several of the 14 surviving planes are part of the collection found in Lake Michigan.
5. A World War I German U-Boat
In 1921, the U.S. Navy gunboat USS Wilmette fired eighteen 4-inch shells at the German UC-97 submarine in the middle of Lake Michigan. Thirteen of the eighteen rounds hit the vessel, causing it to sink in 200 feet of water.
What’s even more intriguing is why a German U-Boat was in Lake Michigan in the first place.
German submarines were responsible for sinking dozens of Allied ships and war vessels. After the war ended, the British captured the German navy, including 176 U-Boats. They allowed Allied nations to take a few boats to study the technology of their former enemy.
The United States took six of these submarines. Along with studying their technology, the U.S. decided to “tour” the boats at various ports, giving the public a chance to view the vessels responsible for so much wartime destruction. A UC-97 submarine was sailed through the St. Lawrence Seaway, becoming the first submarine to enter the Great Lakes. Tourists in different ports paid a small fee to view the boat, with the proceeds applied to the U.S. war debt. Once the tour ended, it was towed to the center of Lake Michigan, where the U.S. Navy training ship USS Wilmette used it for target practice, sinking it as mandated by the Treaty of Versailles.
Efforts to locate the sunken U-Boat began as early as the 1960s, but it wasn’t until 1992 that the wreckage was finally found.
4. An 11-Foot Marble Crucifix
Unlike many other items on this list, the Italian-crafted marble crucifix ended up in Lake Michigan, 244 meters (800 feet) off the shore in Petoskey, Michigan, entirely by design.
Commissioned by a Michigan couple as a grave marker in the 1950s, the statue was sculpted in Italy and portrays a traditional, life-sized image of Jesus (1.67 meters or 5-foot-5) on a cross that stands 3.35 meters (11 feet) tall. Unfortunately, it sustained a crack during shipping. The couple ultimately rejected the piece, and it was sold at an insurance auction.
The Wyandotte Diving Club purchased the statue to honor a diver who had tragically passed while doing what he loved. The statue was placed about 365 meters (1,200 feet) off the coast of Lake Michigan, where divers could pay their respects and enjoy the tribute.
In the early 1980s, the Michigan Skindiving Council launched a salvage and restoration effort, moving the statue closer to shore and adding a new base. The president of the Little Traverse Bay Dive Club proposed holding a winter viewing of the memorial, now resting at a depth of around 6.5 meters (21 feet). Underwater lighting was provided, and now, when the ice conditions allow, visitors can walk out to see the statue through a hole in the ice.
3. Canadian Model Airplanes
These weren’t just any model airplanes. These were 1/8-scale replicas of an advanced aircraft developed by Avro Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force…back in the 1950s.
These models were flown over Lake Ontario during the plane’s development, testing its revolutionary “delta wing” design to verify its performance at Mach 1 and Mach 2 speeds. Named the Avro Arrow, this was the only supersonic interceptor ever built in Canada, created as a defense against Soviet long-range bombers that could potentially attack North America by crossing the Arctic Circle.
In 1959, Canada’s Prime Minister unexpectedly canceled the program. Six completed planes were dismantled, and nine model planes that tested the aircraft’s performance at various stages were also destroyed. There were rumors that Soviet spies had infiltrated the project, and efforts were made to destroy the technology to prevent its replication.
Four of the nine models have been retrieved from Lake Ontario’s sandy bottom and are currently undergoing restoration by the Canadian Conservation Institute.
2. A Seven-Room, Fully Furnished Vacation House
In the winter of 1977, the 6.5-kilometer (4-mile) stretch of ice between Bayside, Wisconsin, and Madeline Island in Lake Superior froze over. But was it solid enough to transport a house?
Lyle Rhine, from Dale Movers in Minneapolis, was confident it could be done. He had a dedicated ice road plowed specifically for moving the house from the mainland to the island. On March 2, the four-mile journey began.
The first three miles went smoothly.
However, at the three-mile mark, the trailer's tires carrying the house broke through the ice. Lyle and his companion, who had wisely left their vehicle doors open, jumped out while the truck was still in gear. The truck sank first, followed by the house, plunging into 21 meters (70 feet) of water.
The following summer, the Coast Guard required the owner to retrieve the wreckage, and the truck was eventually brought to the surface. Cables were attached to the house in an attempt to lift it intact, but despite efforts, it broke apart and now rests in pieces on the lakebed.
1. Old Whitey, the Preserved Corpse of the USS Kamloops
The Great Lakes, at their deepest points, maintain a steady temperature of around 4°C (40°F), with crystal-clear, sterile waters that are ideal for preserving submerged items, including the bodies of sailors lost with their ships.
When the cargo vessel USS Kamloops sank in Lake Superior in December 1927, it remained lost for five decades. Upon rediscovery, divers were amazed to find that the ship had been remarkably preserved in the cold, bacteria-free waters of Superior. Lifesavers candy was still in its wrapper, shoes, furniture, and fixtures were nearly untouched, and even faucets were still operational.
This preservation also extended to the body found in the engine room. Due to a natural process that occurs in cold temperatures after death, the body took on a white, waxy appearance, which led divers to nickname the steward 'Whitey.' He remains there, in his watery grave, awaiting the arrival of others exploring his vessel.
While Whitey stands out as a well-known figure in Lake Superior’s deep waters, he is far from the only soul to have perished with their ship in the Great Lakes. Many of these wrecks are now designated as controlled diving sites, as families of the lost do not wish to see their loved ones disturbed in their final resting places.
