By James Heinz
Summerfest, the greatest music festival in the world, takes place on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Eating delicious food, listening to great music, and people watching are not the only things you can do at Summerfest. There is one other thing that you can do:
Visit an historic shipwreck.
Photo at top of page: Carferry MILWAUKEE lost 1929
Anchor from the carferry MILWAUKEE
Millions of people have walked past a monument to one of the legendary Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes. The railcar ferry SS MILWAUKEE left Milwaukee at 2 pm on October 22, 1929. She was last seen passing the Milwaukee lightship 3 miles off the harbor, heading into a 37 mph gale.
After that, nothing.
Bow of the MILWAUKEE courtesy of Cal Kothrade
Debris and bodies were found at different places in Lake Michigan. In 1972, pioneering shipwreck hunters Kent Bellrichard and John Steele found the wreck of the SS MILWAUKEE in 120 feet of water. Apparently, some of her railcars had come loose and damaged her stern sea gate, letting water into her car deck. The wreck was found pointed back towards Milwaukee, but she sank by the stern before she could make it.
Two messages from the doomed ship were recovered, one with the time of 8:45 pm. A watch recovered from a dead crewman was stopped at 9:35 pm. Fifty two lives were lost.
One of the MILWAUKEE’s anchors is on display at Summerfest. Her bell, recovered by Bellrichard, is on loan from WMHS to the North Point Lighthouse, as well as her engine room telegraph and a searchlight. One of her lifeboats is on display at the Port Washington 1860 Light Station museum.
Photos of the anchor at the Summerfest grounds courtesy of James Heinz.
Photo of the carferry MILWAUKEE from the Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
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James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
