Quick Facts
Vessel Name: Steam fireboat
Type: Wood
Specs: 99ft (L) × 24ft (B) × 10ft (D)
Construction: Wood
Year Built: 1893
Home Port: Milwaukee, WI
General Era: 19th-century industrial maritime era
Vessel Service: Municipal fireboat (harbor & river firefighting)
Date of Loss: May 12, 1930
Cause of Loss: Decommissioned and intentionally scuttled
Location: Lake Michigan, ~6.3 miles NE of Milwaukee
Coordinates: 43° 03.945′ N, 87° 47.270′ W
Depth Range: 120ft to 135ft (36.6 to 41.2m)
History & Story
Built in 1893, Milwaukee Fire Department Fireboat No. 17 entered service at a time when Milwaukee’s waterfront was densely packed with wooden docks, grain elevators, breweries, rail yards, and steam-powered vessels. Fires along the rivers and harbor were a constant risk, capable of spreading rapidly through the industrial corridors that lined the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers.
The harbor was also home to a small but well-known fishing village on Jones Island, located directly within the inner harbor. The community was populated largely by Polish-speaking immigrants from the Kaszub region of what is now northern Poland. These families supported themselves through commercial fishing and waterfront labor, living in close proximity to docks, boats, fuel supplies, and industrial infrastructure.
In this environment, fires posed a unique threat — not only to ships and shoreline facilities, but to nearby homes and working communities as well. As the city’s second municipal fireboat, No. 17 served as a mobile firefighting platform capable of responding where land-based crews could not, supplying high-volume water streams to vessels, docks, and waterfront neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee’s harbor and river system.
Originally named James Foley, the vessel remained in active service for nearly three decades before being placed into reserve status in late 1922. As newer fireboats entered service and firefighting technology evolved, No. 17’s role diminished. In May 1930, the vessel was dismantled and deliberately sunk in Lake Michigan, where her remains now serve as a tangible link to Milwaukee’s industrial and maritime past.
More than ninety years after being deliberately sunk, Fireboat No. 17 was rediscovered during bathymetric surveys conducted by the NOAA Office of Coast Survey in 2024. Maritime Preservation Program archaeologists later conducted dives on the wreck during the summer field season and, with assistance from local diver Capt. Jerry Guyer, positively identified the remains as Milwaukee Fire Department Fireboat No. 17.
As part of the documentation effort, a three-dimensional photogrammetry model of the wreck was created, providing a detailed digital record of the vessel’s surviving structure. Additional archaeological survey work is planned, ensuring that Fireboat No. 17 continues to contribute to the understanding of Milwaukee’s maritime, industrial, and firefighting history long after her active service ended.
Historic View
PHOTO CREDIT: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
Photo Highlights
Present-Day Dive Overview
Dive Type: Recreational
Depth Range: 120ft to 135ft (36.6 to 41.2m)
Certification: This site is suitable for divers with training and scuba certification(s) appropriate for the planned depth and conditions.
Depths are approximate and may vary with lake level, seasonal and weather conditions.
Fireboat No. 17 rests upright on a soft mud bottom in approximately 135 feet of water. The vessel was dismantled prior to sinking, and most of the above-deck superstructure is no longer present, leaving the machinery and remaining deck structure exposed.
The steam engine rises from the center of the wreck and serves as the most prominent and recognizable feature. Surrounding deck planking and framing remain visible, with structural timbers scattered across the lakebed and partially embedded in the mud. The wreck presents a low-profile footprint, with clear outlines of the hull and deck but little vertical relief.
The stern section remains clearly defined, with the curved hull outline and deck features still intact and easily identifiable. In contrast, the bow section shows more surrounding fallen structure and scattered timbers, though its overall shape remains readable. Fine sediment covers much of the site, and careful buoyancy is required to avoid disturbing silt during exploration.
Today, Fireboat No. 17 offers a subtle, archaeological-style wreck dive, where the vessel’s layout becomes clear through careful observation of machinery, hull lines, and surviving deck structure rather than dramatic vertical features.