Shotline Diving

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3DShipwrecks Adds New Milwaukee Car Ferry Models (2021 & 2025)

The next pair of models being added to the 3DShipwrecks.org website and database document one of the most popular deep dive sites in the Milwaukee area — the 338-foot steel rail car ferry Milwaukee. Originally built in 1902 by the American Shipbuilding Company as Manistique, Marquette & Northern No. 1, the vessel was designed to…

The next pair of models being added to the 3DShipwrecks.org website and database document one of the most popular deep dive sites in the Milwaukee area — the 338-foot steel rail car ferry Milwaukee.

Originally built in 1902 by the American Shipbuilding Company as Manistique, Marquette & Northern No. 1, the vessel was designed to carry 30 rail cars on four tracks. In 1908, it was sold to the Grand Trunk Milwaukee Car Ferry Company, renamed Milwaukee, and operated on the busy Grand Haven–Milwaukee route for the remainder of its career.

In October 1929, Milwaukee departed Milwaukee into a severe northeast storm on Lake Michigan. Roughly ten miles offshore, the vessel reportedly began taking on water. The ship turned back toward port but began shipping heavy seas over the stern. The stern gate was bent by wave action, apparently allowing water onto the deck and into the lower deck. The ferry sank approximately ten miles from Milwaukee Harbor with the loss of her entire crew. The precise sequence of structural failures and flooding will likely never be fully confirmed.

Two New Digital Models

We are adding two separate 3D models of the Milwaukee to the database:

2021 Model

  • Created from 19,716 44-megapixel images
  • Captured by Evan Kovacs (Marine Imaging Technologies)
  • Funding provided by Fund for Lake Michigan

2025 Model

  • Created from 8,049 30-megapixel images
  • Captured by Andrew Goodman
  • A collaboration between the Wisconsin Historical Society and GLSPS
  • Made possible through gift funding from the Racine Lighthouse and Maritime Preservation Society

These two high-resolution models provide an opportunity to document site condition and observe changes over time. A separate post will examine differences observed between the 2021 and 2025 surveys.

View the New Models

The wreck’s location is shown in the third image accompanying this announcement.

For additional historical details, see the Shotline Diving site record:
https://shotlinediving.com/wreck/milwaukee-us-93363/

As always, we encourage responsible exploration and documentation practices — leave only bubbles, take only memories, and help ensure these important cultural resources remain protected for future generations.