Milwaukee & Port Washington · United States · Wreck · Freshwater
Dredge #906
Upturned 1956 dredge barge with room to swim beneath it
Dredge #906 is a 37-metre (120 ft) dredge barge that sank in 1956 and lies upside down on her own structure. The upturned bottom of the barge and its keel weight are at 11 m (35 ft), the deepest point of the site is 21 m (70 ft), and the barge stands high enough on her structure for divers to swim underneath.
Also known as Dredge #6.
Where it is and how deep
42.9684° N, 87.7868° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dredge came to rest upside down, so the first part of the wreck reached on the descent is the bottom of the barge, facing up. Its keel weight and the flat of the hull lie at 11 m (35 ft), the shallowest point of the dive and a good place to get oriented on the 37-metre (120 ft) barge.
The barge rests on her own structure rather than flat on the lakebed, which leaves room for divers to swim underneath the hull. The deepest point of the site is 21 m (70 ft).
The wreck
- Vessel
- Dredge #906
- Type
- Dredge barge
- Length
- 37 m (121 ft)
- Sunk
- 1956
- Cause
- Not recorded
- Lies
- Upside down on her own structure, with the barge bottom at 11 m and the lakebed at 21 m
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Milwaukee & Port Washington: Surface water warms from mid-June and reaches about 24 °C in midsummer; the bottom stays near 4 °C all year.
Know before you go
- Swimming under the upturned barge puts a hull overhead; keep buoyancy tight and a clear way out in sight.
- Bottom water stays at about 4 °C (40 °F) all year; a drysuit is recommended for most dives.
Dive videos
Dredge # 906 Shipwreck - Milwaukee WI · A J Dive Charters on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Dredge #906 wreck?+
The upturned bottom of the barge is at 11 m (35 ft) and the maximum depth is 21 m (70 ft).
Sources
- Dredge #906 Shipwreck — AJ Dive Charters
- AJ Dive Charters — AJ Dive Charters
- Shipwreck Explorers FAQ — Shipwreck Explorers
- Fitz Simons & Connell Dredge #6 (1912) - WI Shipwrecks — Wisconsin Sea Grant / Wisconsin Historical Society
More dive sites in Milwaukee & Port Washington
Remains of the largest wooden steamer on the Great Lakes, in 5 m
Wreck
Intact, upright 1981 tug, small enough for a night dive
Largely intact three-masted schooner from 1893 at 16–21 m
A 103 m train ferry that sank in 1929 with railroad cars aboard
Boiler, shaft and propeller of a 1922 steamer at 18 m
Upright schooner in 43 m with her main mast still standing
Wreck
Wheelhouse at 17 m on a steel freighter lying on her side
Wreck
Schooner barge scuttled in 1923, lying in 37 m of water
Similar dives elsewhere
A 1940 Lunenburg schooner scuttled for divers at 17 m
Blown apart by lightning in 1930, at 24 m off Cockburn Island
An upturned schooner on the bank, then a drift along the island wall
An 1862 schooner in 18 m on a mooring buoy







