Page 36 - 2007 Lake St. Clair Guide Magazine

“Ar e you sel l ing or buying ? “I’m a

“no nonsense” realtor working to get your house sold;
and I won’t try to sell you a house that you don’t want.

I know your time is valua ble and I won’t waste it”.

Life and Death
on the
St. Clair River

By Rick Saterstad - Marine City Michigan -www.DiversDiscountNetwork.com

Everyone has heard of the Edmond Fitzgerald - the freighter that tragically sank in Lake Superior in the 1975,
all hands lost.

But, have you heard of these St. Clair River wrecks?...The Monarch - 60’ wooden tug built in 1889, sunk in
1934 - four lives lost. The M.E. Tremble - 198’ - 3 masted grain schooner , built in 1874, sank 1890 - one loss
of life. The Badger State - a 213’ lumber ship converted to passenger steamer with pool/dance hall, sank 1909.
The Tokio - 1800s era 222’ - 4 masted Schooner, sunk between St. Clair and Marine City. The Nellie Lyon -
1800s era 145’ sandsucker sunk in 1911. Very much intact!

Throughout the 1800s and until this day, the Great Lakes have been used as a major mode of transport for bulk
goods. It is estimated that close to 10,000 ships have sunk since the early 1800s. Dozens if not hundreds are
right in the St. Clair River!

Divers who get certified to dive once per year in the tropics while on vacation should team up with someone
with experience, or take a special class before jumping into the St. Clair River. Unlike diving in the tropics with
slight currents and 100 foot visibility, diving the St. Clair River may require jumping off a seawall into 6-10
mph currents. A diver could end up doing summersaults in the strong currents and have visibility as little as 18
inches. And, nothing is more intimidating than drifting just above the bottom of the river and hearing a 1000
foot freighter with a propeller the size of a mid-sized family home above your head. An inexperienced diver
may panic and bolt to the surface risking a lung embolism from rapid air expansion or surfacing in the middle of
the heavy boat traffic!

With practice and experience, a well planned dive can be fun and relaxing, and reveal much marine life in a
world most only read about. Visibility is often better than 18 inches, anywhere between 6-20 feet.