Shipwrecks · The Island Sea
Lake Huron Shipwrecks
51 documented wrecks, lost between 1814 and 1966. 40 have a published wreck site, marked on the chart. 3 are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wrecks
51
Sites charted
40
National Register
3
Earliest loss
1814
The toll by decade
When Huron took them
Wrecks in this directory by the decade they were lost. It counts documented vessels, not every loss.
How they were lost
By cause
Only where the record says it in plain words.
The big hulls
Largest Huron wrecks by length
SS Daniel J. Morrell
Bulk Freighter · built 1906 · lost 1966
SS Cedarville
built 1927 · lost 1965
SS D. R. Hanna
Lake freighter · built 1906 · lost 1919
SS James Carruthers
Bulk freighter · built 1913 · lost 1913
SS Charles S. Price
Great Lakes freighter · built 1910 · lost 1913
SS Isaac M. Scott
Great Lakes freighter · built 1909 · lost 1913
Every Lake Huron wreck in the directory 51
By era of loss, oldest first.
Before 1850 2
- NancyLost 1814 · 80 ft
- PS New OrleansWooden sidewheel steamerLost 1849 · 185 ft
1850–1879 7
- NorthwesternTwo-masted wooden schoonerLost 1850 · Collision · 115 ft · site unpublished
- DefianceWooden two-masted schoonerLost 1854 · 115 ft
- John J. AudubonBrigLost 1854 · Collision · 148 ft
- Kyle SpanglerLost 1860 · Collision · 130 ft · NRHP
- E. B. AllenWooden two-masted schoonerLost 1871 · Collision · 134 ft · site unpublished
- Cornelia B. WindiateLost 1875 · Foundered
- PS WaubunoLost 1879 · Foundered · 135 ft
1880–1899 12
- SS Jane MillerCargo ShipLost 1881 · Foundered · 78 ft · site unpublished
- SS AsiaPassenger-cargo shipLost 1882 · Foundered · 136 ft · site unpublished
- Erie BelleTugLost 1883 · 117 ft
- SweepstakesSchoonerLost 1885 · Foundered · 119 ft
- SS MessengerWooden steam bargeLost 1890 · Fire · 136 ft · site unpublished
- CorsicanWooden two-masted schoonerLost 1893 · Collision · 112 ft
- Newell A. EddyThree‑masted wooden schoonerLost 1893 · Foundered · 242 ft
- John ShawThree-masted wooden schoonerLost 1894 · Foundered · 217 ft · site unpublished
- SS OhioLake freighterLost 1894 · Foundered · 202 ft
- SS NormanLost 1895 · 296 ft · NRHP
- SS FloridaLost 1897 · Collision · 270 ft
- TypoWooden three-masted schoonerLost 1899 · Collision · 138 ft
1900–1929 18
- MinnedosaFour masted schooner later converted to bargeLost 1905 · Foundered · 250 ft · site unpublished
- SS EtruriaLake freighterLost 1905 · Collision · 434 ft
- SS KaliyugaLake freighterLost 1905 · Foundered · 270 ft · site unpublished
- SS New OrleansWooden bulk freighterLost 1906 · 240 ft · site unpublished
- MetamoraTugLost 1907 · Stranded · 121 ft
- SS Oscar T. FlintWooden steam barge / bulk freighterLost 1909 · Fire · 218 ft
- SS RussiaPackage freighterLost 1909 · Foundered · 246 ft
- SS W. P. ThewWooden steam bargeLost 1909 · Collision · 132 ft
- SS Charles S. PriceGreat Lakes freighterLost 1913 · Foundered · 504 ft
- SS Isaac M. ScottGreat Lakes freighterLost 1913 · Foundered · 504 ft
- SS James CarruthersBulk freighterLost 1913 · Foundered · 550 ft
- SS John A. McGeanLost 1913 · Foundered · 432 ft
- SS ReginaPackage FreighterLost 1913 · Foundered · 250 ft
- SS WexfordLost 1913 · Foundered · 250 ft
- SS ChoctawLake freighterLost 1915 · Collision · 267 ft
- SS D. R. HannaLake freighterLost 1919 · Collision · 552 ft
- SS CliftonWhaleback freighterLost 1924 · Foundered · 308 ft
- SS ManasooPassenger and package freighterLost 1928 · Foundered · 155 ft
1930–1959 3
- SS ViatorGeneral cargo steamshipLost 1935 · 232 ft · site unpublished
- SS Midland CitySteamboatLost 1955 · Fire · 114 ft
- SS MonroviaCargo shipLost 1959 · Collision · 432 ft
1960 on 3
- SS CedarvilleLost 1965 · Collision · 588 ft
- MV NordmeerSteel ocean general cargo freighterLost 1966 · 471 ft
- SS Daniel J. MorrellBulk FreighterLost 1966 · Foundered · 603 ft
Year not recorded 6
- F. T. BarneySchooner126 ft · NRHP
- M. F. MerrickWooden two‑masted schoonerCollision · 139 ft · site unpublished
- PersianSchoonerCollision · 128 ft
- PS Keystone StatePaddle steamerFoundered · 288 ft
- SS D. M. WilsonLake freighterFoundered · 179 ft
- SS W. C. FranzLake freighterCollision · 346 ft
Beyond the wrecks
More on Lake Huron
How many shipwrecks are in Lake Huron?
This directory lists 51 Lake Huron wrecks that have a documented history: a named vessel with its record. The lake holds far more. Historians count losses on the Great Lakes in the thousands, and most of them are small vessels with no published record or a wreck site nobody has found.
What is the oldest shipwreck in Lake Huron?
By year of loss, the earliest in this directory are Nancy (1814), PS New Orleans (1849), Northwestern (1850). Older losses happened; these are the earliest with a documented vessel record.
When were the most ships lost on Lake Huron?
Among the wrecks listed here, the 1890s count the most: 8. Wooden sail and early steam, heavy traffic and no weather forecasting made the late nineteenth century the worst run on every lake.
Can you dive Lake Huron shipwrecks?
Many, yes. Wreck sites on the U.S. side generally belong to the state, and removing anything from them is illegal. Cold water, depth and poor visibility make most of them technical dives. Read the visiting notes on our shipwreck index before you plan one.
Vessel facts from the infoboxes of English Wikipedia articles in its “Shipwrecks of Lake Huron” category, retrieved 2026-10-11; National Register references link to NPS NPGallery. Shoreline from Natural Earth (public domain). Charts are not for navigation. Corrections to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.