Milwaukee & Port Washington · United States · Wreck · Freshwater
Prins Willem V
Wheelhouse at 17 m on a steel freighter lying on her side
Prins Willem V, the Willie to Milwaukee divers, is a 79-metre (258 ft) steel cargo ship that sank in 1954 after colliding with an unlit oil barge. She lies on her starboard side with the top rail and wheelhouse at 17 m (55 ft) and the bottom at 27 m (90 ft), so newer divers can stay high on the wreck while more experienced divers go deeper.
Also known as Willie.
Where it is and how deep
43.0256° N, 87.8088° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Because the Willie lies on her starboard side, the top rail is the uppermost part of the wreck, at 17 m (55 ft). The rail and the wheelhouse sit at this level, and a dive that stays there gives divers new to Lake Michigan a large steel wreck without going any deeper than 17 m. Below the rail the hull drops to the lakebed at 27 m (90 ft), and this deeper part of the wreck is for more advanced divers.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Prins Willem V
- Type
- Steel cargo ship
- Length
- 79 m (259 ft)
- Sunk
- 1954
- Cause
- Collided with the unlit and unmanned oil barge Sinclair N.12
- Lies
- On her starboard side, top rail at 17 m and bottom at 27 m
Prins Willem V was a steel cargo ship, 79 m (258 ft) long. On 14 October 1954, at around 19:16 local time, she collided with the unlit and unmanned oil barge Sinclair N.12 off Milwaukee and sank. She came to rest on her starboard side, with her top rail at 17 m (55 ft) and the bottom of the wreck at 27 m (90 ft).
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.
Dive videos
Prins Willem V ( Willie ) Shipwreck - Milwaukee WI · A J Dive Charters on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Prins Willem V wreck?+
The top rail and wheelhouse are at 17 m (55 ft) and the bottom of the wreck rests at 27 m (90 ft).
Sources
- Prins Willem V Shipwreck — AJ Dive Charters
- MV Prins Willem V — Wikipedia
- AJ Dive Charters — AJ Dive Charters
- Shipwreck Explorers FAQ — Shipwreck Explorers
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