NBM Dive Site Resource
Alice E. Wilds
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
EXTREME TECHNICAL DIVE ONLY — Deep wooden steamer wreck off Milwaukee accessible only as a specialized technical expedition.
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Original NBM Artwork
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.
Lake Trout
Salvelinus namaycushNOAA identifies lake trout in Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast sanctuary waters and notes that wreck structures provide foraging habitat for predatory fish. At this deep wreck, any sighting remains condition- and season-dependent.
Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceOpen Aquatic Life Profile →
Burbot
Lota lotaBurbot use cold, deep Great Lakes habitat and are regularly associated with deeper wreck structure. Divers should treat this as a possible rather than assured encounter.
USFWS Mountain-PrairieOpen Aquatic Life Profile →
Round Goby
Neogobius melanostomusNOAA describes round goby as a benthic, structure-oriented Lake Michigan fish that can nest among shipwrecks and other hard substrate. Look low on the wreck and adjacent lakebed.
Peter van der SluijsOpen 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.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.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.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.
| Month | Average air | Surface water | Bottom water | Bottom measurement depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24.0°F / -4.4°C | 35.2°F / 1.8°C | No reliable record | — |
| Feb | 27.1°F / -2.7°C | 36.6°F / 2.6°C | No reliable record | — |
| Mar | 36.4°F / 2.4°C | 37.8°F / 3.2°C | No reliable record | — |
| Apr | 46.3°F / 7.9°C | 38.3°F / 3.5°C | No reliable record | — |
| May | 57.1°F / 13.9°C | 42.5°F / 5.8°C | No reliable record | — |
| Jun | 67.6°F / 19.8°C | 53.7°F / 12.1°C | No reliable record | — |
| Jul | 73.3°F / 22.9°C | 68.2°F / 20.1°C | No reliable record | — |
| Aug | 72.3°F / 22.4°C | 72.2°F / 22.3°C | No reliable record | — |
| Sep | 65.0°F / 18.3°C | 68.4°F / 20.2°C | No reliable record | — |
| Oct | 53.0°F / 11.7°C | 58.5°F / 14.7°C | No reliable record | — |
| Nov | 40.4°F / 4.7°C | 49.0°F / 9.4°C | No reliable record | — |
| Dec | 29.5°F / -1.4°C | 43.7°F / 6.5°C | No reliable record | — |
Wisconsin State Climatology Office — Milwaukee Climate Data
1991–2020 climate normalsReview source ↗NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide — Station 45007
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
Deep, cold-water preserved wooden steamer structure.
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 steam bulk freighter
- Year built
- 1883
- Year sunk
- 1892
- Vessel length
- 136 ft
- Cause of loss
- Collision, June 12, 1892
- Present condition
- Deep-water wooden steamship remains.
- Penetration guidance
- Interior spaces are overhead environments. Entry requires appropriate wreck training, equipment and a planned exit; depth alone does not establish suitability.
History and significance
Built by J. Oades at Detroit, Alice E. Wilds carried lumber on its final voyage. A collision off Milwaukee caused its loss in 1892; the operator's historical account reports no fatalities. The wreck rests at expedition technical depths.
Plan the trip
Dive boats that visit this wreck
Before you arrive
Access notes
Special expedition access only; confirm logistics and current conditions.
Plan within your training
Conditions and hazards
Extreme depth, hypothermia, major decompression obligation, gas-planning, entanglement and overhead hazards. Depth creates decompression obligations; cold water, darkness or limited visibility, entanglement and overhead wreckage require site-specific technical planning.
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.