Thunder Bay · United States · Wreck
Nordmeer
A 144-metre ocean freighter (471 feet) broken across a shoal in 12 m
Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain
A 144-metre freighter built at Flensburg, Germany, which ran aground on Thunder Bay Shoal in November 1966 on the ship's first voyage into fresh water. Much of the hull stayed above the surface for decades until waves and ice finally ripped the steel apart, and what is left now lies broken across the shoal in 12 metres of water.
Where it is and how deep
45.1360° N, 83.1598° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site sits on a shoal seven miles north of Thunder Bay Island, and the bottom is in sight almost as soon as you leave the surface: nothing here is deeper than 12 metres. You drop onto steel rather than onto a ship — plating, frames and structural members from a 144-metre hull spread across the rock. Orientation takes a minute, because the wreck reads as material before it reads as a vessel.
Work the wreckage methodically and the scale comes through: this was a 144 m ocean-going cargo freighter (471 ft), and the plating and framing are sized to match. The shallow depth gives you a long dive and good light, which is what makes it a sensible first Great Lakes wreck and an easy one to photograph. Artefacts can no longer be removed from the wreck; pieces salvaged from Nordmeer are on display at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena, and a red and white vent from the ship stands in the riverside park downtown.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Nordmeer
- Type
- Steel ocean-going general cargo freighter
- Length
- 144 m (472 ft)
- Built
- 1954
- Sunk
- 1966
- Cause
- Ran aground on Thunder Bay Shoal on the ship's first freshwater voyage
- Lies
- Broken across a shallow shoal; much of it stood above water for decades until waves and ice tore the steel apart
Nordmeer was launched in 1954 by Flensburger Schiffs Gesellshaft at Flensburg, Germany, and was carrying 990 coils of steel destined for Milwaukee when it entered Lake Huron in November 1966 — the ocean-going ship's first freshwater voyage. Turning inside the flashing buoy that marked Thunder Bay Shoal, the steel hull bumped to a stop, caught by the rocks. It never came off. Much of the ship remained above water for decades before waves and ice finally ripped it apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Thunder Bay: The season runs late May to early October, with July and August warmest; the lake is unworkably cold and rough otherwise.
Know before you go
- The wreck sits on a shallow shoal at a popular dive site, so surface traffic is the real concern: fly a flag, stay with the boat and finish the ascent on the line.
- Shallow water invites long dives, and long dives are how divers get cold in Lake Huron; a drysuit is the sensible default even in August.
Photos from Nordmeer
National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain
Dive videos
Nordmeer Wreck Scuba Dive, Lake Huron - Thunder Bay Michigan · WimbletonProductions on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Nordmeer wreck?+
The site bottoms out at 12 metres, which makes it one of the shallowest large wrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and a straightforward dive for an Open Water diver with cold-water experience.
Can beginners dive the Nordmeer?+
Yes, within limits. The depth is well inside entry-level range, but the wreck sits on a shoal seven miles offshore, so it is a boat dive with a flag, and Lake Huron is cold enough that a drysuit and cold-water training matter more here than depth experience.
Sources
- Nordmeer Shipwreck — NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Photo credits
- Rusted superstructure of the freighter Nordmeer breaking the surface of Lake Huron by National Marine Sanctuaries, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diver approaches the submerged hull of the Nordmeer freighter in green Lake Huron water by National Marine Sanctuaries, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Freshwater diving: lakes, springs and quarriesFreshwater · 15 min read
- Your first wreck dive: what to expect and whereFirst dives · 6 min read
More dive sites in Thunder Bay
Wreck
Ghost schooner upright at 56 m, masts still standing
Wreck
Steering wheel and chained windlass on a broken schooner
Wreck
The sanctuary's largest wreck, 162 m and inverted
Wreck
An intact 1848 schooner on an even keel at 56 m
Wreck
Three masts still on deck at 63 m
Upright steel freighter with engine and boilers still in place
Wreck
A Great Lakes freighter lying inverted at 53 m
An 1862 schooner in 18 m on a mooring buoy
Similar dives elsewhere
Remains of the largest wooden steamer on the Great Lakes, in 5 m
Wreck
Bermuda
Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising · United States
Upright 1870 schooner with open cargo hatches and schools of rock bass
Wreck
Breconshire Wreck (Boiler Wreck)
Treasure Coast · United States
A boiler standing out of the water about 90 m off the beach
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
A sunken tuna trawler that gathers bull sharks in season.