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.
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
Bay View’s Filled in Breakwater
June 21, 2026(Part II of III) By John Dillon Following up with my last post regarding the development of Milwaukee’s Bay View Shoreline, the following posts shows the filling in of the first breakwater area that is now Cupertino Park, the parking lot, South Shore Yacht Club (SSYC) and the launching ramps. …Read more
Bay View’s First Breakwater
June 20, 2026(Part I of III) By John Dillon Having grown up in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood on the corner of S. Shore Drive and Iron Street, playing in what is now Cupertino Park and growing up at the South Shore Yacht Club and then buying the Ren Estes house on the…Read more
Long Ships Passing – Unloading at Milwaukee
June 19, 2026By Chris Winters SOUTHDOWN CHALLENGER unloading a split load of Type I Portland cement under the light of Milwaukee’s inimitable "Polish Moon.” Kinnickinnic River terminal, November 2003. --------------------------------- The SOUTHDOWN CHALLENGER was built in 1906 at Ecorse, Mich., by the Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Shenango Steamship Company as…Read more
A LIGHTHOUSE WITHOUT A LIGHT
June 14, 2026By James Heinz The Superior Entry South Breakwater Light at Wisconsin Point in Lake Superior has been guiding mariners into the Duluth/Superior harbor since June 30, 1913. But on May 13, 2026, its vital mission was suddenly stopped for an unusual reason: Someone stole the light. The U.S. Coast Guard…Read more
ARTIFACTS FROM A LEGENDARY GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK – Part I
June 12, 2026By James Heinz The MV PRINS WILLEM V is a famous shipwreck. The ship sank three miles east of the Milwaukee breakwater lighthouse on October 14, 1954, after striking the towing cable between an oil barge and a tugboat. Shortly thereafter legendary Milwaukee underwater explorer Max Gene Nohl tried to…Read more
