ShipwreckFreshwaterTechnical DiveSource Checked

NBM Dive Site Resource

Acme Propeller

Dunkirk, New York, United States

TECHNICAL DIVE ONLY — Acme Propeller is a deep eastern Lake Erie wreck resting at approximately 130 ft / 40 m and included in the specialist inventory of the lake’s 19 technical wrecks.

Save this dive site to your free member profile.

Historic Picture Placeholder

Historic Picture PlaceholderHistoric photograph pending research and rights review

WaterFreshwater

AccessBoat charter

ExperienceTechnical dive only — decompression, cold-water and wreck training required

Maximum depth130 ft

Best seasonSeasonal; eastern Lake Erie weather, border procedures and operator schedule permitting

VisibilityVisibility varies

Aquatic life at this dive site

What divers may encounter

Three reviewed connections are featured here. Sightings vary by season, conditions, and chance, so they are never guaranteed.

Common deep-wreck colonizer

Quagga Mussel

Dreissena rostriformis bugensis

Quagga mussels dominate the eastern Lake Erie basin and can occupy deep hard structure; divers should expect colonies on the Acme machinery and remaining wreck surfaces rather than a guaranteed uniform covering.

Motte123

Open Aquatic Life Profile →

Likely bottom resident

Round Goby

Neogobius melanostomus

Round goby are established throughout Lake Erie and use bottom structure, so slow-moving divers may see them sheltering close to the wreck and lakebed.

Peter van der Sluijs

Open Aquatic Life Profile →

Seasonal deep-water encounter

Lake Trout

Salvelinus namaycush

USGS telemetry found adult lake trout concentrated in offshore eastern Lake Erie deeper than 25 m during stratification; Acme lies near 40 m, making an encounter plausible but never assured.

Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Open Aquatic Life Profile →

Site media

Photographs

Three views rotate from the published gallery on each visit.

Contributor media

Dive videos

Three featured video positions are reserved on every profile.

Dive-site video pending

Recent field observations

Diver-reported temperatures

Automatically checked observations from dives during the past 14 days. Three reports are visible at a time; scroll for more.

Automatically checked

No recent diver reports from the past 14 days

A report that passes the automatic checks will appear here with the dive date, diver’s display name, and temperatures at each depth.

Reports are automatically checked for plausible dates, depths, and temperatures. They are observations, not forecasts; confirm conditions before diving.

Seasonal planning reference

Typical monthly conditions

Long-term averages, not a forecast. Actual air and water conditions can change quickly and may vary across the site.

Average airSurface waterBottom water

Reusable conditions profileGreat Lakes regional monthly conditions

Moderate-confidence match — Matched by documented Great Lakes port/area. Air and surface-water values are regional planning averages. No bottom-water line is published because a comparable depth-specific record has not yet been verified.

Monthly averages in Fahrenheit and Celsius
Month	Average air	Surface water	Bottom water	Bottom measurement depth
Jan	25.5°F / -3.6°C	32.9°F / 0.5°C	No reliable record	—
Feb	26.4°F / -3.1°C	32.4°F / 0.2°C	No reliable record	—
Mar	34.1°F / 1.2°C	35.5°F / 1.9°C	No reliable record	—
Apr	45.6°F / 7.6°C	43.6°F / 6.4°C	No reliable record	—
May	57.9°F / 14.4°C	54.3°F / 12.4°C	No reliable record	—
Jun	66.9°F / 19.4°C	65.9°F / 18.8°C	No reliable record	—
Jul	71.7°F / 22.1°C	74.6°F / 23.7°C	No reliable record	—
Aug	70.4°F / 21.3°C	75.3°F / 24.1°C	No reliable record	—
Sep	63.4°F / 17.4°C	70.5°F / 21.4°C	No reliable record	—
Oct	51.7°F / 10.9°C	59.8°F / 15.4°C	No reliable record	—
Nov	41.0°F / 5.0°C	47.6°F / 8.7°C	No reliable record	—
Dec	31.4°F / -0.3°C	38.0°F / 3.3°C	No reliable record	—

Air temperatureRegional average — not site-specific

NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals — Buffalo, NY

1991–2020 climate normalsReview source ↗

Surface-water temperatureRegional average — not site-specific

NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide — Buffalo, NY

Historical monthly station averagesReview source ↗

Bottom temperature is never inferred from surface temperature. A blank month means no reliable depth-specific average is available. Data reviewed 2026-08-26.

Why divers know this place

Highlights

Historic wooden propeller remains at a demanding eastern Lake Erie depth.

Shipwreck-only module

The wreck

This section appears only on shipwreck records and brings the vessel, its loss, present condition, access, and responsible wreck-diving considerations into one place.

Vessel type: Wooden propeller
Year built: 1856
Year sunk: 1867
Cause of loss: Hull leak during a storm

History and significance

An early propeller-era Lake Erie freighter.

Plan the trip

Dive boats that visit this wreck

Barcelona Harbor, Westfield, New YorkSouthwind — Eastern Lake Erie Wreck ChartersOsprey Charters Inc.

Osprey Charters explicitly lists this wreck on its current 2026 event calendar for Southwind service; actual selection remains subject to weather, availability and diver qualifications.

Open boat profile →

Before you arrive

Access notes

Offshore boat dive. Confirm current mooring, exact depth, jurisdiction, weather, gas and decompression support with an experienced Lake Erie technical operator.

Plan within your training

Conditions and hazards

Borderline or technical depth, decompression obligations, cold water, low visibility, offshore exposure, entanglement, fragile structure and possible overhead environments.

Independent resource notice

This record is a starting point for independent verification. Access, closures, moorings, weather, currents, depth, visibility, operator availability, and site conditions can change without notice. Confirm current information with the responsible operator, property owner, managing authority, or another qualified local source before planning or attempting a dive.