Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society – GLSPS

Posted to Facebook on December 16, 2024  · 

Tis the season to add the famous Lake Michigan Christmas Tree Ship to our 3DShipwrecks.org database and website.

The Christmas Tree Ship, schooner Rouse Simmons, was built in 1868 and memorialized in numerous books and chapters of maritime history. The 123 ft beloved schooner carried Christmas Trees from Wisconsin to Chicago for years, selling them at the waterfront from the deck of the holiday decorated vessel. It was named after the company’s major financial backer from the Simmons family, a manufacturing power in Kenosha, WI, and founder of the well-known Simmons Mattress Co.

In 1912 the kind-hearted Captain Herman Schuenemann invited several lumberjacks to join them on the voyage home to Chicago for the holiday, but the journey ended when the aging ship was caught in a terrible storm and sank 12 miles northeast of Two Rivers, WI. All sixteen of her crew and passengers vanished along with the ship. The ship was discovered in 165 ft of water by well-known shipwreck hunter Kent Bellrichard.

For the more complete history see https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Vessel/Details/541?region=Index . Today it is a popular dive site. The model was created from 6,445 frames from GoPro video shot by contributing photographer and 3D modeler Zach Whitrock in the 2022 season. Our thanks to Zach for his contribution to the database.

The link to the model is : https://3dshipwrecks.org/shipwreck-rouse-simmons/ and the location is shown in the second image.