Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising · United States · Wreck · Freshwater
Superior
Three boilers from an 1856 side-wheeler below Spray Falls
Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Superior is a side-wheel passenger and freight steamer wrecked in heavy seas in 1856, the oldest of the preserve's main wrecks. Her three boilers and pieces of hull lie in about 11 m (35 ft) of water, only about 30 m (100 ft) off shore and just west of Spray Falls on the Pictured Rocks shore.
Where it is and how deep
46.5575° N, 86.4152° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site sits 91 m (300 ft) west of Spray Falls, with the wreck on the bottom at around 11 m (35 ft). Her engine and safe were salvaged after the wreck, but the three boilers remain together with portions of the hull, and other machinery lies scattered about the area.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Superior
- Type
- Side-wheel passenger and freight steamer
- Sunk
- 1856
- Cause
- Lost her rudder and her cargo shifted in heavy seas, and she drifted onto the rocks near Spray Falls
- Lies
- In about 11 m (35 ft), some 30 m (100 ft) off shore west of Spray Falls
Marine life and season
- Freshwater fish
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising: The diving season runs from mid-May to early October, and charters need booking in advance.
Sources
- Alger Underwater Preserve — Michigan Underwater Preserves Council
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Layered sandstone cliffs with a sea cave arch and pines on top, seen from a boat over green water on a hazy day by Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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