DUNDERBERG

By: Capt. Ron Burkhard

It was a clear calm summer night as the schooner Dunderburg slid down Lake Huron off Sand Beach (Harbor Beach, Mi). Several of the passengers had come out of the cabin to enjoy the warm summer night and were probably discussing current events. The upcoming presidential election between Ulysses S. Grant and Horatio Seymour may have been mentioned. Also, feeling still ran high about the Civil War and the rebellious South. Although the war had ended three years earlier, South Carolina had just been readmitted to the Union.

The local newspapers carried stories about General Custer assuming command of the U.S. Seventh Calvary. They were datelined “I.T.” which stood for Indian Territory, and were from the land west of the Mississippi. What likely was not discussed was the fact that this new ship and one woman passenger were living the last moments of their lives.

The date was August 13, 1868. The three-masted schooner Dunderburg was headed south with 40,000 bushels of corn and five passengers. The steamer, Empire State, was headed north under a starlight sky. Captain Charles W. Green, the Dunderburg’s master, said he sighted the Empire State “some ten miles ahead about a point and a half over our starboard bow”. As time passed, Green became concerned when he realized the Empire State was going to pass uncomfortably close to his ship. He had the right of way as a ship under sail and he also was sailing close-hauled and unable to turn out of the way of the approaching ship. The inexperienced second mate of the Empire State was standing watch in the wheel house and did not realize the danger until it was two late. Green wrote “a fearful crash followed. The propeller struck the schooner between the main and mizzen masts, on the starboard side, crushing in her planks and timbers, creating a hole several feet in depth, and cutting her down below the water’s edge.” The impact of the two ships colliding was also hard enough to knock out the schooner’s oil lamps, tumble masts, spars, rigging, and knock overboard the unfortunate wife of one of the ship’s owners. In the darkness and confusion, as the Dunderburg was sinking, the passenger and crew realized Mrs. Wilcox was missing. The lifeboats were launched, boarded by everyone, and a long unsuccessful search begun to find the woman. After the schooner sank, the survivors boarded the Empire State and headed south to Port Huron.

The Empire State was built in 1862 as a wooden propeller that measured 210.83’ long, 32.33’ wide, and 13.16 deep. Although damaged in the collision, she was able to return to the St. Clair River where a steam pump was used to keep her afloat. Her second mate was charged with manslaughter for the death of Mrs. Wilcox. The charge was later dropped; however, his pilot’s license was revoked. Twenty-three years after sinking the Dunderburg, the Empire State was involved in a near fatal accident. On July 17, 1891, she ran aground and sank on Lake Superior’s Au Sable Point. Through the heroic efforts of the salvage tug, Favorite, and diver John Quinn, she narrowly avoided disaster. After being repaired and refloated, she went on for another 25 years of service until being abandoned at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1916. If my information resources are correct, the Empire State was in service in some capacity for 54 years.

The Dunderburg was barely a year old when she sank and was a very ornate ship for a working cargo ship. She was 186’ long, 33’ wide, drafted 18’, had three masts that were schooner rigged, and could carry 596 tons. This ship is considered to be a jewel among wreck divers and is a premier diving destination for experienced divers from throughout the nation. I consider it to be one of the oldest and best-preserved wooden schooner shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, if not the world. The cold deep freshwater of the Great Lakes is an excellent preserver for these wooden shipwrecks. We will make a SCUBA dive to explore this beautiful and mostly intact wreck and share out adventure with you.

To dive the wreck of the Dunderburg, we leave Harbor Beach harbor through the main gap. I always admire the Harbor Beach lighthouse as we pass by and am thankful that the Harbor Beach Lighthouse and Breakwall Preservation Society has done such a good job of maintaining this light and preserving its history. It is a 6.5-mile ride out to the wreck site on approximately a 30-degree true heading. This is not a dive for beginners and not all the danger lurks below the surface. This wreck lies just off the Easterly Limits of the Upbound Course Line as shown on NOAA Lake Chart # 14862 and freighters are a threat while moored on this wreck. A constant visual and radar vigil must be maintained while diving. You should not leave your boat unattended while you are diving. A freighter can travel 15 miles in 60 minutes and at this diving depth you will probably be in the water that long. We have found that freighters respond much more quickly to a female voice so my wife, Judy, frequently makes the warning calls on the radio. I got tired of being ignored.

This wreck usually has a mooring line attached to it as part of the Thumb Area Great Lakes State Bottomland Preserve system’s efforts. I have not recently visited the wreck so I asked Rec & Teck Dive Charters owner and operator Capt. Gary Venet what conditions were like out there during his visits in early May of 2003. Capt. Gary said that Dunderburg had a mooring line attached near the center of the ship. Lake Huron’s surface temperature was 43 deg. and 150 feet down it was a balmy 36 deg. However, visibility was an excellent 20-30 feet. Capt. Gary operates out of Port Sanilac and if you want to treat yourself to a nice dive charter experience with an outstanding boat, check him out. As a bonus, he has two beautiful first mates; his wife, Ann, and Deb, who was on board when I chartered.

I always hope that there is a mooring line present when we approach the wreck site. It is so easy to damage fragile and unique features on this wreck when trying to hook into it with a grappling hook.

Once the boat is secure to the wreck, a diver starts the long and careful process of preparing to dive this fairly deep wreck. Suiting up for a SCUBA dive is a lot like preparing for a space walk. You have to take your air supply with you and be very careful not to violate certain physical laws.

It is always a relief to finally fall over the side of the boat and swim over to the mooring line. Once there, unless the lake is too rough, I usually make a brief equipment check at the surface before descending. I like diving on bright sunny days because the sunlight beams shine through the water as I start down the line. As the depth increases, these sunbeams disappear and the water above, below, and around you becomes a greenish haze. This is sometimes disorienting to divers because there are no visible reference points other than the rope they are following. To take my mind off this, there are many tasks to perform on the way down. A diver must equalize their ear and mask pressure, maintain neutral buoyancy by inflating their BC and/or dry suit, turn on their light and strobes, and check their camera settings. Occasionally, a quick look may be taken at their depth and air pressure computer. Unless it is a very deep dive, I don’t usually take a look at my depth gage. I like the thrill of falling through the green haze and having the wreck slowly come into view.

As the details of the Dunderburg become visible, I stop to make sure I am neutrally buoyant and again check the camera. This ship sits upright on its keel in 155’ of water and is mostly intact. I notice I am near 130 feet and above deck level in the bow area and am amazed at the visibility and all the neat things I can see. Directly below me is the anchor windlass and it has chain wrapped around its drum. The wooden area of the drum of the windlass in not torn up or damaged much, proof that the ship was nearly new when it sank. Facing forward toward the bow is a raised foredeck deck. It is open underneath and I see a 3-step stairs laying there. On top of the foredeck are resting two long curved metal handles that meet at a mechanism it front of the pawl post. These handles were used by the crew to work the windlass while raising anchors. It must have been very hard work. The right handle is touching the shank of a large wooden cross-stock anchor that looks like it was dislodged from the collision and thrown onto the foredeck. It is a beautiful anchor that is trailing long rust tentacles from its flukes. I notice several things at once as I swim forward of the anchor. The foredeck has a raised wooden brace that trails from the pawl post over to the gunwale where it rises up to meet the cathead. I also notice a leather-sheathed rope about 4 inches in diameter coming up through the top rail of the gunwale. The rope ends where the leather wrapping stops. The leather was probably used for chaffing protection.

Coming to the forward peak of the ship, I peer out and see the bowsprit and jibboom raising and extending out of sight into the gloom. What a thrill it must have been to stand in this spot while the ship was under sail. Kicking forward, I swim out and down past the point of the ship, under the bowsprit. Looking up, I can see the most unique feature of the shipwreck. It is a wooden figurehead carved to represent a mythical creature that looks like a platypus. It has an open duck-billed mouth partially filled with a thick tongue. Four short feet extend from its lower body and I can see the rib details carved into the side of its body. After 130 plus years underwater, a red-painted eye stares out at me. As I look closer, I can also see red paint on the tongue. Rapture of the Deep can produce strange results and I imagine that his figure either scares you or excites you when you see it in the gloomy depths for the first time.

Looking forward under the bowsprit, I see the chain stays extending up to meet near the jibboom. An interesting object that looks like a deadeye is mounted here, but instead of three holes it has an opening with three grooves. Turning back toward the ship I notice the joint where the figurehead connects with a rolling bas-relief carving. I follow this carving as it curves down the side of the bow then rises up to meet the cathead. It is hard to say how long this carving is, but I would guess about 15 feet, on each side of the ship. The detail in this feature is incredible. It looks like a long scrolling grape vine with leaves, flowers, clusters of grapes, and even a bird plucking grapes off the vine. Some diving buddies teased me about seeing the bird and did not believe me. However, since seeing my pictures, they are now believers. There are yellow, white, and red paint flakes visible. I believe this ship had many brightly painted details and must have been an exquisite sight to behold when first launched. Taken together, the figurehead and carvings make this a truly one of a kind shipwreck.

Near the cathead, is the hawsepipe. It has anchor chain extending out of it and running up to a big ring at the top of the anchor. A big block is mounted on the outside of the hull in front of the hawsepipe. A feature that shows how much pride was taken in this ship’s construction is a skid plate nailed on the hull to protect it from damage when raising the anchor. As I follow the cutwater down to the lake bottom, I notice the master craftsmanship of the boat builders. The cuts of the joints are very accurate when you consider the heavy timbers used and the sharp turns and curves of the hull at this point. There is either white paint or caulk present in the joints and nail holes. There are several small deadeyes lying on the bottom under the bowsprit.

As I swim up from the bottom I pass under the figurehead and come around to the port side of the ship. Swimming higher up, I pass over the port anchor, which is identical to the starboard one, and notice that it is secured by chains in its proper place. The cathead on this side is very interesting because it looks like everything, but rope, is in place from the last time that anchor was raised in 1868. There are brackets with chain running through them, a couple of small deadeyes mounted on the forward side of the cathead, and two opening at the upper end of the cathead that look like they hold pulley sheaves.

I turn toward the stern of the ship and pass over the bow windlass.
Lying on the deck immediately behind the windlass is a scatter of debris. Chain, blocks, tools, and fittings lie around a small access opening in the deck. This opening has a 12” high raised combing. I also see anchor chain passing through two holes in the deck that lead to the chain locker. As I move on, I come to a larger deck opening that also has a combing. This combing has a curved shape and I am surprised to see an intact hatch cover lying nearby. It is also curved, has iron rings on its upper corners, and is a perfect match for the hatch combing.

I turn on my diving light as I decide to drop down through this hatch into the cargo hold. Massive uprights support the deck and I notice grooves running down their length. These grooves or slots look much like what we had in our farm grainery and I suppose these slots held boards to keep the grain cargo separated or to stop cargo from shifting. There is some silt in the hold but I can see the ship’s big ribs, some planks scattered about, and also the massive exposed keelson.

Swimming back up on deck, I see a beautiful fife rail directly behind the hatch opening. This rail has holes it to hold belaying pins and surrounds a big hole in the deck where the foremast once stood. I admire the nicely carved and rounded detail of the rail posts and see what looks like a pulley set into one of the posts. Lying nearby is a large boom or gaff. It is hard for me to tell which it is because many of these schooners were gaff rigged. Raised off the deck is a jumble of masts and crosstrees. I notice a set of three pulleys in a row hooked to a piece of mast. There are quite a few single, double, and triple blocks still on this wreck. I notice a mast lying over the port rail and follow it down to the mast top lying on the lakebotton. Some people call this mast top a crosstree or crow’s nest. It is a heavy wooden platform that fits over the top of the mast and has a square hole in it where the top mast is stepped. Many mast hoops lie stacked against a mast ring just short of the mast top. Lying nearby is a small deadeye that neatly fits in my hand. Its holes are still plugged with rope. I lay the deadeye down and swim upward for about 20 feet to get back on deck.

Swimming over the gunwale I notice another mast lying on deck. Looking further inboard, I see a strange looking apparition that transforms into a capstan. This capstan has a wide base that curves into a smaller rounded top. The top is shaped like a head with eyes staring out at you. To add to the effect are long rust tentacles hanging down. They look like a reggae beard on a bald headed Davey Jones; or, an alien monster with empty eye sockets and a mouthful of fangs.

Moving on, another hatch opening appears. One hatch still has an iron support bar running across its top. This one has a rusting iron deck winch aft of the hatch. Immediately past this is another fife rail that surrounds the main mast. This rail holds iron belaying pins and two of them are bent over. They must have been in use when the rigging collapsed. This mast is still in place and rises out of sight up to where it is snapped off. The mast is flared out near the top of the fife rail, probably as a rest or stop for the mast hoops.

Sternward from the main mast is the second to last hatch opening in the deck. It is a good sized opening so I easily drop down through it and turn toward the starboard side of the ship. I can see the impact point where the Empire State smashed in the wooden hull of the Dunderburg. Mammoth beams and timbers are snapped and splintered inward. The opening appears huge and looks to be 4-5’ wide and reaches from the lake bottom up to the main deck. Penetration also looks to be 4-5’ deep into the ship. With a gaping hole like this in its side, it is no wonder this ship did not survive the collision.

Coming back up out of the hold, I next see a bilge pump setup on deck. Something white catches my eye and I turn toward the port rail and see a cabin door lying flat on the deck. This is a wood panel door and has a nice white porcelain doorknob attached to it.

Swimming aft, I pass the last hatch opening and come to the missing cabin area. The main deck level ends here where the cabin was recessed into the deck. Part of the cabin floor is intact. The mizzen mast protrudes from the cabin floor and is broken off about 15’ up. I can’t held but wonder what it must have been like for the crew and passengers to live in this cabin area. They stood on this floor that I am looking at and perhaps leaned up against the mast that rose through their living quarters.

Some of the rear cabin area floor and steering deck of the ship are broken apart and missing. The ship must have sunk slightly down at the stern and the rudder post smashed upward through this area. This post is a great round timber with an iron cap and iron bands. On some remaining decking, a strong iron bar is attached. It must be a traveler for the mizzen boom because it still has a two-sheave block attached to it. Next to it is a big rope cleat. The transom is mostly intact and at its corners are two heavy lifeboat davits. They have strong iron hinges that have some rust tentacles on them. These davits do not protrude past the rear of the ship and are folded inward on top of the gunwales. Was this done by the crew after they launched the lifeboat?

Dropping down over the stern and touching lake bottom, I see another flash of white in my light’s beam. Swimming over, I see what looks like a porcelain soup tureen or maybe it’s a chamber pot. Good thing I didn’t work in the galley. Further out I see some more wreckage. Is it cabin wreckage or maybe some afterdeck with a steering wheel? Excited at the prospect of what I will find, I take a quick look back and see my diving buddy wrapped up in some line near the rudder. I turn back to untangle my partner and we decide its time to end the dive. It’s about a 200’ swim back to the ascent line and decompression time is piling up on our computers.

We kick back to the main deck and sail down the ship over the starboard gunwale. I notice many neat things as I glide along. I see huge rope cleats inside the gunwales, open scuppers, and finely detailed trim that covers the inside of the gunwales throughout the ship. Chainplates and chainwales pass by. These have many deadeyes on them that still contain remnants of rope after 135 years. These deadeyes line the rails like silent sentinels with their skull-like look and vacant eye sockets.

After reaching the ascent line, I slowly rise toward my first decompression stop. It is not unusual to spend 30-40 minutes hanging on this line and thinking about all you have seen. Sometimes my thoughts are interrupted by freighters passing close by. Since this wreck is directly on a chart course line, great care must be taken while diving. Always fly big “Alpha” and “Diver Down” dive flags from your boat. I have had to move my boat out of a freighters way before. Once while decompressing, one passed so close by that the sound was deafening. I had to cover my ears to protect them.

Our trip to the Dunderburg provided us with a look at one of the premier wooden schooner shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, if not the world.