NBM Dive Site Resource
Pewabic
Offshore Lake Huron, Michigan, United States
TECHNICAL DIVE ONLY — Pewabic is a Lake Huron shipwreck documented by NOAA at 165 ft / 50 m. This depth exceeds recreational limits and requires appropriate technical and decompression training.
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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.
Aquatic life research in progress
NBM is reviewing a likely local species for this position.
Aquatic life research in progress
NBM is reviewing a likely local species for this position.
Aquatic life research in progress
NBM is reviewing a likely local species for this position.
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.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.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.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.
Why divers know this place
Highlights
NOAA-documented Great Lakes wreck: Motor: twin screw wooden passenger and freight steamer; 200 feet.
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
- Motor: twin screw wooden passenger and freight steamer
- Vessel length
- 200 feet
History and significance
“The pitiful cries of the drowning, struggling for help, are still in my memory, and will remain with me while memory lasts.” - Meteor chief engineer John Croneweth Violent storms, ice, and fog claimed thousands of ships on the Great Lakes. The loss of the steamer Pewabic due to a collision with its sister ship Meteor, however, resulted from bad decisions, not bad weather. The sister ships Pewabic and Meteor regularly passed each other between Lakes Superior and Erie, often exchanging news and mail. On the calm evening of August 9, 1865, this meeting proved tragic. A few miles south of Thunder Bay Island, Pewabic ’s wheelsman suddenly turned his vessel into the path of the oncoming Meteor. Meteor’s heavy bow cut a huge gash into the side of Pewabic . Some passengers leaped to Meteor, but within minutes Pewabic vanished beneath the waves. Although Meteor rescued many of the estimated 150 passengers, at least 35 drowned in Thunder Bay’s worst maritime disaster. Today Pewabic is a gravesite and silent memorial to those who died in its sinking and salvage. Pewabic is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .
Before you arrive
Access notes
Technical dive only. Confirm current conditions, mooring status, gas plan, decompression plan and operator requirements before departure. NOAA coordinates are reference points, not navigation instructions.
Plan within your training
Conditions and hazards
Depth beyond recreational limits, decompression obligations, cold water, limited light, changing visibility, entanglement and possible wreck overheads. Penetration requires separate wreck-penetration training and 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.