Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Great Lakes Shipwrecks: The Other Lost Giants of Superior

Echoes Beneath the Waves
The Great Lakes have long been known as the inland seas of North America. Great Lakes Shipwrecks, vast and unforgiving. Among them, Lake Superior reigns supreme—not only for its size and beauty but for its power and peril. While the Edmund Fitzgeraldstands as the most famous of its shipwrecks, it is far from alone.
Beneath Superior’s cold depths lie more than 350 recorded shipwrecks, each with its own tale of ambition, weather, and fate.

The Graveyard Beneath Superior – Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Stretching over 31,000 square miles, Lake Superior has been both a trade route and a test of endurance for centuries. Its sudden storms, icy temperatures, and powerful waves have earned it the reputation of being one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world.

From wooden schooners of the 1800s to steel freighters of the modern age, vessels have vanished into its depths, often without a trace. Many of these wrecks rest near Whitefish Bay, known as the “Graveyard of the Great Lakes.”

The SS Bannockburn – The “Flying Dutchman of the Great Lakes” (1902)

In November 1902, the SS Bannockburn, a 245-foot Canadian grain freighter, disappeared during a storm while traveling from Port Arthur to Midland, Ontario.
With no survivors and little wreckage ever found, sailors began referring to it as the “Flying Dutchman” of the Great Lakes, a ghost ship reportedly seen sailing Superior’s waters even decades later.

The SS Kamloops – Trapped in Ice (1927) – Great Lakes Shipwrecks

The SS Kamloops, a package freighter, sank in December 1927 during a fierce blizzard. It wasn’t discovered until 1977—fifty years later—perfectly preserved in the icy depths near Isle Royale.
Divers who visited the wreck described the haunting scene as “a frozen time capsule,” with cargo and crew still visible, untouched by decay in the near-freezing waters.

The SS Henry B. Smith – The Forgotten Freighter (1913) – Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Lost in the Great Storm of 1913, one of the most devastating maritime disasters in Great Lakes history, the Henry B. Smith vanished with all 25 men aboard. The ship wasn’t located until 2013, exactly a century later.
Its discovery became a symbol of closure for families who had waited generations for answers.

The SS Cyprus – Gone After Two Voyages (1907) – Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Built in 1907, the SS Cyprus had an astonishingly short career—just two trips across Lake Superior. Caught in a gale near Deer Park, Michigan, she sank with 22 of her 23 crew. Her wreck wasn’t found until 2007, lying in over 400 feet of water.
Her loss became a lesson in how hurried construction and human overconfidence can meet with tragic results.

The Carl D. Bradley – A Modern Tragedy (1958)

Although she sank in Lake Michigan, the Carl D. Bradley is often included in the lore of Great Lakes wrecks for her similarities to the Edmund Fitzgerald. She broke in two during a storm, and only two men survived out of 35.
Her sinking underscored that even modern ships were not immune to the might of the inland seas.

A Legacy Preserved

Today, many of these shipwrecks are protected within the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preserve and the Isle Royale National Park, serving as underwater museums for divers and historians.
Each ship tells a story—of commerce, courage, and sometimes, catastrophe. These wrecks stand as silent memorials to those who braved the Great Lakes’ beauty and fury.

Our Take;

The Great Lakes are not just waters of trade and travel—they are waters of memory.
From the “Flying Dutchman” Bannockburn to the rediscovered Henry B. Smith, their stories remind us that nature’s power demands both respect and remembrance.