Our Blog
Wisconsin Marine Historical Society is a self-supported nonprofit organization committed to collecting, preserving, archiving, and sharing materials that illuminate the rich heritage of the Great Lakes maritime industry. Check out our blog to dive deep into the fascinating narratives and events that have shaped the Great Lakes maritime legacy. Search our blog index to find your favorite stories.
THEN AND NOW: THE SCHOONER LUCIA A. SIMPSON
July 13, 2026By James Heinz The schooner LUCIA A. SIMPSON was launched in 1875 in Manitowoc, Wis. She was a typical wooden, three masted ship of 227 tons displacement. She was 127 feet long, 28 feet wide, and had 4 hatches. Unlike most of Great Lakes schooners, the SIMPSON had a long…Read more
Can’t forget the Salties
July 8, 2026Elmer Engman, our Duluth correspondent, can’t forget to mention the two salt water ships that were in on July 6th. The BBC SINGAPORE, she is a new ship being built in 2025 and sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. This is a heavy lift ship and is unloading…Read more
JOSEPH L. BLOCK at Duluth
July 8, 2026Elmer Engman, our Duluth correspondent, also reports that on July 6th leaving the harbor and passing the PRESQUE ISLE was the JOSEPH L. BLOCK. She finished loading a cargo of taconite at the CN ore docks and was heading to Indiana Harbor. She was built in 1976 and is 728…Read more
The PRESQUE ISLE arrives at Duluth
July 8, 2026Elmer Engman, our Duluth correspondent, also reports that on July 6th the PRESQUE ISLE arrived in Duluth. She was going to the fuel dock and then heading to the Burlington Northern ore dock in Superior, Wisconsin, for a cargo of taconite. She was built as a tug barge in 1973.…Read more
Duluth is busy
July 8, 2026Elmer Engman, our Duluth correspondent, reports that on July 6th there was a lot of activity around the port. The cadet training ship, STATE OF MICHIGAN, was pulling into the dock behind the entertainment center. She was built in 1985 at Tacoma, Washington, and is 224 feet long with a…Read more
WHEN MILWAUKEE HAD ITS OWN NAVY
July 5, 2026By James Heinz Or at least so I thought. When I was a kid, my father took me down to the Milwaukee River where it turns from flowing south to flowing east. There I saw two warships tied to the river bank about where the Sail Loft restaurant is today.…Read more
Long Ships Passing – Ahoy and Farewell
July 3, 2026By Chris Winters Ahoy, and farewell: A member of the CASON J. CALLAWAY’s engineering department departs the ship via the supply boat OJIBWAY, while down bound on the St. Marys River, June 2004. The CASON J. CALLAWAY was built at River Rough, Mich., in 1952 by the Great Lakes Engineering…Read more
ARTIFACTS OF A LEGENDARY GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK III
July 2, 2026By James Heinz In a previous article, I showed a propeller from the shipwreck of the PRINS WILLEM V which sunk off Milwaukee in 1954. It is on display at Jerry Guyer’s dock on south Water Street in Milwaukee. As the roughly cut section of propeller shaft sticking out of…Read more
It is never too late to buy insurance!
June 28, 2026The HESPER was launched on June 28, 1890, at Cleveland by Radcliffe’s yard. Built for M. A. Bradley, she was a wooden steamer measuring 269 feet over all with a beam of 41.6. After sailing in the Bradley fleet for fifteen years without insurance, she was turned over to…Read more
ARTIFACTS FROM A SHIPWRECK THAT STOPPED BEING A SHIPWRECK
June 27, 2026By James Heinz In the early morning hours of May 13, 1978, the British freighter PHOTINIA was anchored off Milwaukee harbor awaiting the arrival of a tugboat with a hawser big enough to tow the ship into the harbor. Nature had other plans for her. Photo at top of…Read more
ARTIFACTS FROM A LEGENDARY GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK – PART II
June 26, 2026By James Heinz The Dutch motor freighter PRINS WILLEM V sank off Milwaukee in October 1954 after striking the tow cable between a tugboat and an oil barge it was towing. The ship has become one of the most popular dive sites on the Great Lakes, and as a result,…Read more
1936 – The Building of South Shore Yacht Club
June 22, 2026(Part III of III) By John Dillon The early to mid-1930’s was an active time along the Bay View shoreline. The population of Milwaukee was already over 575,000 people, which is about 100 years after Elijah Estes first settled in the area. The new (current) bath house was built and…Read more
