LakeShipwreckFreshwaterSource Checked

NBM Dive Site Resource

Milwaukee Car Ferry

Milwaukee offshore waters, Wisconsin, United States

Large railroad car ferry wreck off Milwaukee at advanced recreational depths.

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Historic Photograph

The car ferry later named Milwaukee underway under its original name, Manistique-Marquette & Northern No. 1.Public domain via Wikimedia Commons · Public domainSource ↗

WaterFreshwater

AccessBoat charter

ExperienceAdvanced recreational

Maximum depth90-125 ft / 27-38 m

Best seasonSeasonal charter access

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.

Likely cold-water wreck encounter

Lake Trout

Salvelinus namaycush

The Milwaukee Car Ferry rests in roughly 90 to 130 feet of Lake Michigan water. NOAA identifies lake trout in Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast waters and notes that wreck structures provide foraging habitat for predatory fish.

Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Open Aquatic Life Profile →

Possible deeper-wreck encounter

Burbot

Lota lota

NOAA reports that burbot often appear at deeper Great Lakes shipwrecks. Divers may encounter one close to the lower hull or bottom, but this remains a possible rather than guaranteed sighting.

USFWS Mountain-Prairie

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Common structure-oriented encounter

Round Goby

Neogobius melanostomus

NOAA identifies round goby among Lake Michigan bottom-habitat fishes. Look along low steel structure, rail cars, and the surrounding sand-and-muck bottom.

Peter van der Sluijs

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

Published reference location

Location map

The marker shows the public coordinates associated with this profile. Confirm current access, moorings, and departure details before the dive.

Published reference coordinates43.13632, -87.83228

Open in Google Maps ↗

Map zoom level 1 of 11

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

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	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	—

Air temperatureNearby monitoring station

Wisconsin State Climatology Office — Milwaukee Climate Data

1991–2020 climate normalsReview source ↗

Surface-water temperatureRegional average — not site-specific

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

Large steel ferry structure and railroad-car-ferry history.

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: Steel steam-powered railroad car ferry
Year built: 1903
Year sunk: 1929
Cause of loss: Foundered in a storm, October 22, 1929
Wreck orientation: Upright
Present condition: Main hull, tracks, rail cars and propellers remain; upper structures have deteriorated.
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

Originally Manistique Marquette Northern I, the ferry was renamed Milwaukee after its sale in 1908. It transported railroad cars across Lake Michigan. The final crossing toward Grand Haven ended in a severe gale with no survivors. A damaged stern sea gate is evidence relevant to the flooding. Kent Bellrichard, John Steele and Roger Chapman found the wreck in 1972.

Plan the trip

Dive boats that visit this wreck

AJ Dive Charters dock, Milwaukee RiverSarah Jane — Milwaukee-area Lake Michigan Dive CharterAJ Dive Charters

Published in the operator's current Milwaukee-area wreck catalog; advanced or technical qualifications may apply.

Open boat profile →318 S. Water Street, MilwaukeeLen-Der — Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin Dive CharterLen-Der Charters / Pirates Cove Diving

Published on the Len-Der Milwaukee wreck map and current charter page; advanced qualifications may apply.

Open boat profile →MilwaukeeMolly V — Wisconsin Lake Michigan Dive CharterShipwreck Explorers LLC

Shipwreck Explorers publishes this wreck on Molly V's Wisconsin destination page and directs divers to its live schedule or charter-booking page.

Open boat profile →

Before you arrive

Access notes

Boat-access site; verify current mooring, lake conditions and charter availability. The displayed map point supports regional discovery only. Confirm the exact site, active mooring, conditions, permissions and navigation with the operator or managing agency.

Plan within your training

Conditions and hazards

Cold water, depth, decompression risk, variable visibility, entanglement and overhead/penetration hazards.

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.