Extensively researched and supplemented with archival and underwater photographs and illustrations, Shipwrecks of Lake Erie Volume One is the only book on Lake Erie shipwrecks featuring complete vessel histories, descriptive stories of death and survival, and thorough examinations of the wrecks as they sit on the bottom of Lake Erie.

Richly illustrated, this second edition adds several exciting newly discovered shipwrecks with incredible stories of loss and survival on Lake Erie. The book allows readers to visit 100 wrecks through: survivor tales of the loss, ship facts, the history of the vessel and its loss, photos of the ship before it sank, description of the underwater site with drawings, underwater photos and side scan images, and the wreck location. This book, combined with Erie Wrecks West, provides the most comprehensive coverage of Lake Erie shipwrecks ever compiled.

Documents the stories of a number of sunken vessels on the United States territory in Lake Ontario, among them the steamer Ellsworth, the St. Peter, the Homer Warren, the schooner Etta Belle, the Coast Guard cable boat CG-56022, the schooner William Elgin, the Orcadian, the steamer Samuel F. Hodge, the W.Y. Emery, the British warship Ontario, the schooner C. Reeve, the Queen of the Lakes, the schooner Atlas, the Ocean Wave, the steamer Roberval, the U.S. Air Force C-45, the schooner Three Brothers, the steamship Nisbet Grammer, the steamship Bay State, the schooner Royal Albert, the sloop Washington, and the schooner Hartford. Appendices look at three particular locations: Ford Shoals, Mexico Bay, and the lake near Oswego.

Erik Petkovic’s Lake Erie Technical Wreck Diving Guide is packed with tales of maritime disasters: sailing ships and steamers which foundered, succumbed to storms, collided or were engulfed in flames. There are ships which sank more than once, were involved in wars, slave escapes and catastrophic collisions, plus daring stories of deep salvage, valuable cargoes, submarines, experimental engineering and unidentified wrecks. The guide brings to life the rediscovered history of the ships, passengers and crews. Then there are the dives themselves. Some of the wrecks are remarkably intact for their age. Amongst the features which can be seen are wooden ships’ wheels, standing masts, rudders, propellers, portholes, engines, boilers and steamship hogging arches. Each chapter describes the history, current condition, location, dimensions, hazards and highlights of an individual wreck. The author’s original research, contributor photos and archive materials help bring these 19 enticing, challenging, rarely dived wrecks to life. ‘Meticulously researched, nicely composed, beautifully illustrated. I wish I had written this book.’– Gary Gentile 'Any technical diver considering diving on any of these wrecks should first read this one-of-a-kind book!’– Joe Porter, Publisher, Wreck Diving Magazine

In 1679, a French ship called the Griffon left Green Bay on Lake Michigan, bound for Niagara with a cargo of furs. Neither the Griffon nor the five-man crew was ever seen again. Though the Griffon’s fate remains a mystery, its disappearance was probably the result of the first shipwreck on a Great Lake. Since then, more than six thousand vessels, large and small, have met tragic ends on the Great Lakes. For many years, saltwater mariners scoffed at the freshwater sailors of the Great Lakes, “puddles” compared to the vast oceans. But those who actually worked on the Great Lakes ships knew differently. Shoals and reefs, uncharted rocks, and sandbars could snare a ship or rip open a hull. Unpredictable winds could capsize a vessel at any moment. A ship caught in a storm had much less room to maneuver than did one at sea. The wreckage of ships and the bones of the people who sail them litter the bottoms of the five lakes: Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Ed Butts has gathered stories and lake lore in this fascinating, frightening volume. For anyone living on the shores of the Great Lakes, these tales will inspire a new interest and respect for their storied past.

A history of Lake Erie’s most mysterious and notorious wrecks and disappearances. The great lakes have seen many ships meet their end, but none so much as Lake Erie. As the shallowest of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie is prone to sudden waves and wildly shifting sandbars. The steamer Atlantic succumbed to these conditions when, in 1852, a late-night collision brought sixty-eight of its weary immigrant passengers to watery graves. The 1916 Black Friday Storm sank four ships—including the “unsinkable” James B. Colgate—in the course of its twenty-hour tantrum over the lake. In 1954, a difficult fishing season sent the Richard R into troubled waters in the hopes of catching a few more fish. One of the lake's sudden storms drowned the boat and three-man crew. At just fifty miles wide and 200 miles long, Lake Erie has claimed more ships per square mile than any other body of freshwater. Author David Frew dives deep to discover the mysteries of some of Lake Erie’s most notorious wrecks. “Well-illustrated with maps, historic and contemporary photographs, and various advertisements and news announcements, Frew’s engaging study ends with a reasoned, historically grounded discussion of the question, “Is Lake Erie’s shipwreck era over?” —OHS Bulletin

In this highly accessible history of ships and shipping on the Great Lakes, upper elementary readers are taken on a rip-roaring journey through the waterways of the upper Midwest. Great Ships on the Great Lakes explores the history of the region’s rivers, lakes, and inland seas—and the people and ships who navigated them. Read along as the first peoples paddle tributaries in birch bark canoes. Follow as European voyageurs pilot rivers and lakes to get beaver pelts back to the eastern market. Watch as settlers build towns and eventually cities on the shores of the Great Lakes. Listen to the stories of sailors, lighthouse keepers, and shipping agents whose livelihoods depended on the dangerous waters of Lake Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Give an ear to their stories of unexpected tragedy and miraculous rescue, and heed their tales of risk and reward on the low seas. Great Ships also tells the story of sea battles and gunships, of the first vessels to travel beyond the Niagara, and of the treacherous storms and cold weather that caused thousands of ships to sink in the Great Lakes. Watch as underwater archaeologists solve the mysteries of Great Lakes shipwrecks today. And learn how the shift from sail to steam forever changed the history of shipping, as schooners made way for steamships and bulk freighters, and sailing became a recreation, not a hazardous way of life. Designed for the upper elementary classroom with emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin, Great Ships on the Great Lakes includes a timeline of events, on-page vocabulary, and a list of resources and places to visit. Over 20 maps highlight the region’s maritime history. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide includes 18 classroom activities, arranged by chapter, including lessons on exploring shipwrecks and learning how glaciers moved across the landscape.