Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Grampa Woo
• Type: Steel-hulled propeller excursion/tug vessel
• Year Built: 1980
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Approx. 110 ft (33.5 m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage:
• Location: Grounded off Passage Island, Lake Superior, near Isle Royale
• Official Number: US 8220

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A steel excursion or small workboat, likely serving tourism or passenger operations, retrofitted in the 1990s as “Grampa Woo III” indicates initial cruise capability.

Description

• Construction: Steel hull
• Length: Approx. 110 ft (33.5 m)
• Propulsion: Single screw (propeller) arrangement before losing propulsion during incident.

History

Commissioned in 1980, Grampa Woo served as an excursion/tour vessel on Lake Superior. Known later vessels in the series, including Grampa Woo III, indicate continued popularity.

Significant Incidents

• On October 30, 1996, during a severe storm, the vessel broke free from its moorings at Grand Portage, MN.
• The propeller was lost, disabling maneuverability.
• She drifted toward Passage Island near Isle Royale with two crew aboard.
• A freighter, the Walter J. McCarthy, snapped a tow line in gale-force winds.
• A local tugboat—likely the Glenada—executed a successful rescue, towing the vessel to safety with no injuries.
• Rescue is recounted in Joan Skelton’s Rescue From Grampa Woo and reported in the Wreck & Rescue magazine.

Final Disposition

The vessel grounded off Passage Island. Records do not clarify whether it was refloated or scrapped, but she did not remain in the water long term. She resurfaced in operator naming conventions as Grampa Woo III, indicating replacement.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Not applicable—no submerged wreck. The final resting position is the grounding site near Passage Island.

Resources & Links

The Grampa Woo was a modern steel excursion vessel lost during a Halloween-season storm on Lake Superior when it drifted from moorings, lost propulsion, and grounded off Passage Island on October 30, 1996. Both crew were rescued without injury, thanks to heroic towing and tug operations. Though never fully charted as a wreck, the incident remains a notable storm-escape story, commemorated in maritime safety literature and local lore.