List of Shipwrecks of Isle Royale - The 3 C's of Isle Royale

The 3 C's of Isle Royale

To the west and south of Isle Royale is the Rock of Ages Lighthouse. Built in 1908, the light has provided the ships of Lake Superior with assurances that the Rock of Ages reef would be found by the captain, before the reef found the ship. But that was too late or too little for the three residents lying atop the reef.

The Passenger Steamer Cumberland had spent 21–23 July 1877 aground on a bar near Nipigon, Ontario, just prior to heading out into the clear lake from Thunder Bay. She was headed to Duluth, running in clear weather with a light breeze out of the south, when she ran hard upon the reef. A salvage crew tried to float the ship off the reef, but gave up when the weather turned sour in early August. The 'elements' of the lake have left only scattered sections of her hull, sidewheel and anchor from 20 to 140 feet (6 to 43 m) deep on the Rock of Ages Reef.

Nearby to the southwest lies the Henry Chisholm. Sunday, October 1898 she was headed east towards the Soo when her tow separated in a storm north of Copper Harbor, Michigan. On the morning of the 20th, while preparing to begin a search of the Isle Royale harbors for the tow Martin, the Chisholm ran hard atop the reef. So badly damaged was the hull that the salvage crew estimated that it would take 8–10 pumps to lower the water in the hold. With bad weather expected at anytime, it was abandoned to the lake. Today, she rests amongst the remains of the Cumberland, the steam engine being the identifiable remains.

To the east lies the George M. Cox. It was on the night of May 28, 1933 that the Cox struck the reef in a heavy fog. The Cox had been headed for Fort William and was making a good 10 statute miles per hour (16 km/h) in a calm lake when she struck. The impact was so great that the boilers ripped loose. The craft then settled onto the reef with a 90-degree tilt. Many pictures have been seen of the Cox, with its bow standing high out of the water, and the stern lapped by the waves. Again, the damage exceeded the ability of salvagers to remove her from the grave.

Each of these ships can still be visited by divers who brave the 30 °F (−1 °C) temperatures.