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One scuba diver seen through a square opening in rusty, encrusted steel structure, with a rope trailing across the top left — SS Chester A. Congdon, Isle Royale.

Isle Royale · United States · Wreck · Freshwater

SS Chester A. Congdon

An upright bow and pilot house on one side of a reef, the stern on the other

Photo: National Park Service · Public domain

The Chester A. Congdon is the largest shipwreck at Isle Royale, lying in two pieces either side of the reef now called Congdon Shoal. The bow, with its intact pilot house, sits upright on the south side, and the intact stern lies on the north side, reaching far deeper than recreational limits.

Also known as Congdon, Chester A. Congdon.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of SS Chester A. Congdon: typical dive 21–34 m (70–112 ft), deepest point 64 m (210 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit21 m34 m64 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 80 m (262 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

48.1933° N, 88.5144° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The typical dive is the bow section, which broke off cleanly and rests upright in 21 to 34 m (70 to 110 ft) of water on the south side of the shoal. The pilot house is still in place, and the decks, the open pilothouse and the mast can all be explored.

The stern lies separately on the north side of the reef. It starts at 6 m (20 ft) and runs down to 64 m (210 ft), so only its upper part is within reach of a recreational profile.

The wreck

Vessel
Chester A. Congdon
Type
Steel bulk freighter
Length
168 m (551 ft)
Built
1907
Sunk
1918
Cause
Ran aground on Canoe Rocks in fog and broke in two before salvage
Lies
In two pieces: the bow upright at 21 to 34 m on the south side of Congdon Shoal, the stern on the north side

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for SS Chester A. Congdon
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Off-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodOff-seasonOff-season

Season follows Isle Royale: The park is shut from November 1 to April 15; dive charters run in summer.

Know before you go

  • The stern drops to 64 m (210 ft), far past recreational limits, so the depth needs watching on any descent along it.

Dive videos

MSD Diving the Chester A. Congdon · MNDiving on YouTube

Congdon bow · Brian Shreve on YouTube

Sources

  1. Isle Royale National Park – Michigan Underwater Preserves — Michigan Underwater Preserves Council
  2. SS Chester A. Congdon — Wikipedia
  3. Scuba Diving – Isle Royale National Park — National Park Service

Photo credits

More dive sites in Isle Royale

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SS George M. Cox

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Wreck

SS Henry Chisholm

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