Northerner and Mahoning/Niagara with Chicago Scuba Meetup (1 last opening)

Please contact organizer to sign up.

Northerner
This is a popular recreational dive as it is one of a few intact schooners that sits upright at 130ft.  The main mast is still in place, rising 75 feet above the deck. The stern mast had been recovered for a local museum. The hold still contains the cargo of cordwood, the logs still stacked up to the deck openings. The deck cargo of wood was removed at Port Washington prior to the accident. The windlass, anchor chain, center board winch along with the bow sprit and figure head are still in place.

Niagara
The main wreck of the Niagra lies in 55 feet of water and consists of the aft end of the ship; the bilge is broken just forward of the machinery; the side of the hull have broken at the turn of the bilge and lie flat alongside on the bottom. The central keelson and two floor keelsons are extant, as is the vessel machinery, engine, walking beam, and triple firebox boilers (the last are north of the main wreck). The vessel’s paddlewheels are extant but largely broken up: hub and inner spokes remain attached, the portside wheel is better preserved and still has portions of the buckets (or floats) articulated.