Lake Michigan Reveals Its Secrets

This 133-foot long wooden steamer, the Rising Sun, is in 6 to 12 feet of
water just north of Pyramid Point, where she stranded on October 29, 1917.
All 32 people on board were saved. (U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City)

I did not know that the Great Lakes had a special time of year when, after the winter ice melts and "before summer sediment swirls and algae blooms," the water is so clear that you can see shipwrecks on the lake floor.

Here's an excerpt from the Smithsonian article:


        The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Traverse City noted the crystal clear water conditions and the lost ships during a routine patrol. Last week, they posted a handful of pictures to their Facebook page. The images come from the area near Sleeping Bear Point known as the Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve, which is "one of the richest areas in Michigan for shipwreck diving," according to the preserve’s website. The lumber industry put the area on a shipping route. The North and South Manitou Islands, just north of the point, provided a somewhat sheltered area for ships hiding from storms.

       Not much is known about most of the wrecks, but they do include one doomed vessel, the James McBride, which was thought to be the first to carry cargo from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Michigan in 1848. Facebook commenters helped fill in some of the blanks, but most the historic details are still, well, watery. 



Read the full article and see more images here from Smithsonian.com: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sunken-ships-lake-michigan-are-visible-ghostly-blue-180955108/?utm_source=facebook.com&no-ist