Reefwander

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

Depth profile of Dredge #906: typical dive 11–21 m (36–70 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit11 m21 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

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.

Month-by-month season rating for Dredge #906
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairFairGoodGoodGoodFairFairFairFair

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

  1. Dredge #906 Shipwreck — AJ Dive Charters
  2. AJ Dive Charters — AJ Dive Charters
  3. Shipwreck Explorers FAQ — Shipwreck Explorers
  4. Fitz Simons & Connell Dredge #6 (1912) - WI Shipwrecks — Wisconsin Sea Grant / Wisconsin Historical Society

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