Part of the Great Lakes Region, Michigan is bordered by Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. In 1825, the first lighthouse in the state, Fort Gratiot Light, was erected at the entrance of the St. Clair River from Lake Huron. Still active today, Fort Gratiot is one of 129 active Michigan lighthouses. Many of Michigan’s lighthouses, both active and deactivated, serve a dual purpose as a museum and are popular tourist destinations.

Overlooking Lake Superior in Chippewa County is Whitefish Point Light, first lit in 1849 and is still operating today. In 1996, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) took over ownership of the property, sharing governance with the Michigan US Fish and Wildlife Service and Audobon Society. GLSHS dedicated part of the property to become the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, where artifacts discovered in the depths of the Great Lakes are researched and placed on display. This past year, with the help of an underwater drone, the GLSHS was able to identify a record setting number of sunken wrecks in Lake Superior.

The GLSHS uses a research vessel called the R. V. David Boyd. From the 47ft survey vessel, researchers operate a Phantom S4 Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle. The drone has a dive depth of 1,400ft, more than capable of exploring Lake Superior’s maximum depth of 1,333ft. With the drone, and other marine exploration equipment, the Boyd began its seasonal research mission this past July. Due to droughts and a plentitude of good weather, the drone exceeded the expectations of the team aboard the Boyd.

“This has been a banner year,” said Bruce Lynn, executive director of the GLSHS, “we have never located so many new wrecks in one season.” Referring to historical documents, the Boyd was navigated to the presumed last known sights of several wrecks. Upon deploying the underwater drone, the crew located the Frank W. Wheeler 600ft below the surface of Lake Superior. The Wheeler began taking on water on September 29, 1855, after being hit by a strong gale. Captain William Forbes was able to evacuate the entire crew to lifeboats 15 minutes before the Wheeler sank to the bottom of the lake.

The images collected by the drone show the Wheeler eerily intact, preserved by its watery grave. “You can very clearly see bunks inside the cabin. You can see a chair,” Lynn said. “It kind of looks like the crew just got up and raced out.” Shortly after using the drone to discover the Wheeler, the crew of the Boyd found 2 more sunken 19th century vessels. The first was the Dot that had been carrying a load of iron across Lake Superior on August 25, 1883. The Dot was being towed by a steamer called the M.M. Drake when it suddenly began to take on water. A few days later, the drone found the remains of the Michigan, which was coincidentally being towed by the M.M Drake when it sank on October 2, 1901. Experts estimate that nearly 6,000 ships have sunken in the Great Lakes Region. With the advancement of drone technology, historians can once again reclaim these ships. “Each shipwreck has its own story,” Lynn said. “These are fantastic, true stories that we can tell in the museum someday.”