Fifty years have passed since the SS Edmund Fitzgerald vanished beneath the waves of Lake Superior during a violent November storm, taking all 29 crew with her. The sinking on 10 November 1975 remains one of the most significant maritime disasters in Great Lakes history, and the ship’s story continues to resonate through the region’s shipping, culture and heritage.

In July 2025, a Lake Michigan tour guide stumbled upon the long-lost SS Frank D. Barker—a two-masted wooden freighter that sank in 1887. Over 130 feet long, the vessel now rests just 24 feet beneath the surface off Door County, Wisconsin, in remarkably intact condition. This discovery concludes a mystery that has endured for nearly 140 years.

After 112 years, the wreck of the SS James Carruthers—a 550‑ft Canadian freighter that vanished during the Great Storm of 191,—is finally located in Lake Huron. Found 20 miles east of Harbor Beach in US waters, the wreck lies upside down at a depth of around 190 feet, offering a poignant reminder of one of the Great Lakes’ most devastating maritime tragedies.

A team from the University of Rhode Island conducted a mission using their remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Rhody, to help confirm these new wrecks within NOAA’s protected waters. Researchers were able to map wrecks with centimetre-level accuracy and create photorealistic 3D models thanks to the ultra-high-resolution imaging Stereo Camera that was mounted on the ROV. This advancement will help with the interpretation and preservation of the sites.

Built in 1881 by the Rand & Burger company and originally named J.C. Perrett, the tugboat was one of the most powerful vessels on the Great Lakes, boasting a 670-horsepower engine. Designed to haul lumber and railway barges, it could tow as many as five barges of timber simultaneously. 

Built in 1884 in Milwaukee, the John Evenson was a 54-foot harbor and towing tug. In June 1895, while aiding the steamer I. Watson Stephenson in maneuvering through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal with several schooner barges in tow, disaster struck. As the tug’s captain, John Laurie, crossed the bow of the larger vessel, it collided with the Evenson. The tug capsized and sank instantly. Although four of the five crew members were rescued, fireman Martin Boswell, working below deck, tragically went down with the vessel.

The Margaret A. Muir was built in 1872 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Constructed for Captain David Muir by the Hanson & Scove shipyard, the 130ft, three-masted schooner was designed primarily for the Great Lakes grain trade, although it carried various other cargoes throughout its 21-year career.

The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) has uncovered the remarkably preserved steamship Milwaukee, which vanished in 1886 after a collision and has been resting in 360ft (100m) of water for over a century.

MSRA located the Milwaukee in June 2023 using side-scan sonar and documented it extensively with an ROV. Still, the discovery was only revealed to an enthralled audience in a live announcement during their annual film festival.