Great Lakes shipwreck discoveries, underwater research, and documentation of historic wrecks.

Captain reviewing sidescan sonar images of the steamship Alice E. Wilds discovery in Lake Michigan

How Shipwreck Discoveries Are Made

Research, sonar surveys, and exploration on the Great Lakes

Exploration Process

Shipwreck Explorers participates in the search, discovery, and documentation of historic shipwrecks across the Great Lakes. Through historical research, sonar surveys, and exploratory dives, several long-lost vessels have been located and studied, contributing to the understanding and preservation of maritime history.

Exploration & Discoveries in the Great Lakes

Shipwreck Explorers participates in the search, discovery, and documentation of historic shipwrecks throughout the Great Lakes. Locating these lost vessels requires extensive research, careful planning, and specialized equipment.

Our team spends countless hours studying historical records, maritime archives, and newspaper accounts to narrow down potential wreck locations. Search areas are then investigated using sonar, GPS navigation, and exploratory dives.

Sometimes discoveries come from meticulous research. Other times they begin with a tip from a fisherman, diver, or local historian who remembers a story or approximate location. Each discovery adds another piece to the maritime history of the Great Lakes.

Shipwreck Discoveries

2009 — Steamship M.H. Stuart

While diving another site in 2009, our team unexpectedly located the wreck of the steamer M.H. Stuart resting in approximately 200 feet of water. The vessel had been intentionally scuttled and burned before sinking, but the main structure remains visible on the lakebed. Photographs and video from the dive were later reviewed with maritime historian Brendon Baillod, who helped confirm the wreck’s identity.

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2010 — Steamship L.R. Doty

The discovery of the L.R. Doty was made possible with the help of Milwaukee Captain Jerry Guyer, who provided historic Loran coordinates believed to mark the vessel’s location.

A marker was dropped at the reported point, and the search began by running circular passes around the marker while scanning the lakebed with downward-looking sonar. Each pass widened the search area until the wreck finally appeared on the sonar after roughly two hours.

The circular search pattern around the original Loran position eventually produced what the team jokingly refers to as the “hairball” search pattern.

The identification quickly drew international attention and was later featured on the National Geographic Explorer Channel program Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes: Lost Beneath the Waves. Capt. Jitka Hanakova later presented the discovery at the Ghost Ships Festival in Milwaukee.

Media and Documentary Coverage

Search track lines used during the discovery of the steamship L.R. Doty, forming the “hairball” search pattern
Search track lines from the circular sonar survey conducted during the discovery of the steamship L.R. Doty. The overlapping passes around the original Loran position eventually produced what the team jokingly refers to as the “hairball” search pattern.

2015 — Steamship Alice E. Wilds

The search for the Alice E. Wilds began in 2011 following a discussion with maritime historian Brendon Baillod about the steamer’s collision with another vessel near Milwaukee. Research into the vessel included visits to the Milwaukee Public Library’s Great Lakes Marine Collection, reviewing original documentation on the ship and searching through microfilmed newspaper accounts describing the loss.

Based on this research, the potential search area was estimated at roughly 70 square miles. To improve the chances of locating the wreck, the team acquired a Klein 3000 sidescan sonar system and began systematically surveying the lakebed.

The actual search took place in April 2015. After spending the first day scanning the lake without success, the team returned the following day and resumed the survey. Shortly after lowering the sonar towfish into the water, a very small, almost insignificant bump appeared near the edge of the sonar swath. At first glance it could easily have been mistaken for a rock, but the team immediately returned to the location for another pass.

On the second pass over the object, the sonar image revealed a structure clearly resembling a ship.

The wreck was confirmed as the Alice E. Wilds, and divers returned to the site in June 2015 to explore and document the discovery.

Media and Documentary Coverage

Sidescan sonar survey track lines used during the search for the steamship Alice E. Wilds in Lake Michigan
Survey track lines showing part of the sonar search area used during the 2015 discovery of the steamship Alice E. Wilds off Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Great Lakes shipwreck sidescan sonar image of the steamship Alice E. Wilds resting on the lakebed in Lake Michigan
Sidescan sonar image showing the wreck of the steamship Alice E. Wilds as it appeared during the 2015 survey that led to its discovery.

Documentation & Museum Collaboration

In addition to locating new wrecks, Shipwreck Explorers contributes to the documentation of historically significant shipwreck sites. Underwater photography and video collected during dives help historians and museums better understand these vessels and share their stories with the public.

One example is the documentation of the steamship A.A. Parker in Lake Superior in collaboration with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum ↗. The wreck broke apart into several sections when it sank, creating a dramatic underwater site that has since been featured in museum displays and documentary projects. Through these collaborations, exploration efforts help preserve Great Lakes maritime history for divers, researchers, and future generations.

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Exploration Continues

The Great Lakes still hold thousands of undiscovered shipwrecks. Advances in sonar technology, historical research, and technical diving continue to reveal new pieces of this underwater history. Shipwreck Explorers remains committed to exploring these waters, documenting shipwrecks, and sharing the stories of the vessels that once sailed the Great Lakes.

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