Milwaukee & Port Washington · United States · Wreck · Freshwater
Norlond
Boiler, shaft and propeller of a 1922 steamer at 18 m
The Norlond was a wooden steamer built in 1890 to carry cargo on the Great Lakes. The 47-metre (153 ft) ship sank in 1922 with $500,000 of cargo and now lies broken up at 18 m (60 ft), with her boiler, shaft, propeller and keel exposed on the bottom. It is a wreck for beginning open water divers.
Where it is and how deep
42.9708° N, 87.8123° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Norlond sits upright at 18 m (60 ft), but the hull is broken up and scattered about the bottom rather than standing as a complete ship. The parts that stand out are the machinery and backbone of the steamer: her boiler, shaft, propeller and keel all lie exposed on the lakebed. The moderate depth makes the Norlond a wreck for beginning open water divers.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Norlond
- Type
- Wooden steamer
- Length
- 47 m (154 ft)
- Built
- 1890
- Sunk
- 1922
- Cause
- Leaked after a gale, was patched at Racine, then sprang a leak again and sank near Milwaukee
- Lies
- Upright but broken up at 18 m (60 ft), with boiler, shaft, propeller and keel exposed
The Norlond was a wooden steamer built in 1890 to carry cargo on the Great Lakes, 47 m (153 ft) long. In November 1922 she left Chicago for Milwaukee, put into Racine to patch leaks opened during a gale, and sank near Milwaukee after she sprang a leak again on 15 November. She went down with $500,000 of cargo and lies broken up in 18 m (60 ft) of water.
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
- Bottom water stays at about 4 °C (40 °F) all year; a drysuit is recommended for most dives.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Norlond wreck?+
The Norlond lies broken up on the bottom at 18 m (60 ft), a depth suited to beginning open water divers.
Sources
- Norlond Shipwreck — AJ Dive Charters
- List of shipwrecks in Lake Michigan — Wikipedia
- AJ Dive Charters — AJ Dive Charters
- Shipwreck Explorers FAQ — Shipwreck Explorers
Photo credits
- Historic black-and-white photo of a white passenger steamer with two funnels beside a harbour building by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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