Michigan Diver - Port Austin

02/19/2026

Discovery of the James Carruthers picked up by the Huron Tribune.

Undersea Research Associates find ship lost in 1913 storm that pummeled Lake Huron.

02/18/2026

Great article from The Detroit News on the discovery of the James Carruthers. Interested in more? The URA team will be presenting: The Great Storm of 1913: Lake Hurons Final Chapter at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival on February 28th and the Mysteries & Histories Beneath the Inland Seas show on March 28th.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18NDQNdPMh/

A group of volunteer divers, historians and shipwreck hunters found the wreck of the James Carruthers on May 26. It sank during storm in 1913.

02/16/2026

Undersea Research Associates announced the discovery of the 550-foot James Carruthers 200 feet below Lake Huron about 12 miles northeast of Port Sanilac.

01/18/2026

Join us Feb 28th at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival!

NEW LOCATION: The Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival for 2026 is on Saturday February 28th at the Detroit Marriott Livonia. Note this is a different venue than we have used in the past. Show starts at 8am.

01/16/2026

Saturday, March 28th, 2026, join us at the Beneath the Inland Seas show to hear about the Great Storm of 1913 and the impact it had to the ships on Lake Huron. After 112 years we can tell the full story with the discovery of the shipwreck James Carruthers this year!

12/01/2025

Grab your cell phone, VR headset, or your Oculus headset and join me on a dive to the shipwreck Daniel J. Morrell. Footage was shot with the Insta360 One X2 in the dive case mounted on a DiveX Blacktip scooter. This dive is an external dive around the stern section of the shipwreck. We explore the main decks, both life rafts sitting on the bottom of Lake Huron at 218 ft, the large propeller and end the dive at the smokestack for a view of the steam whistles.

The Daniel J. Morrell was a large steel freighter that foundered in a storm on November 29th, 1966. All but one (Dennis Hale) were lost with the ship. The story of the Morrell was recounted by Dennis in his book "Sole Survivor". On the night of the disaster the ship broke in two during the storm with Dennis on the bow. The stern motored past the bow after breakup and continued on. The bow and stern are now separated by 6 miles. The bow sits upright in about 200 feet of water. The stern sits upright in 218 feet of water.

Making the last run of the season with Edward Y. Townsend, Daniel J. Morrell became caught in winds exceeding 70 mph (110 km/h) and swells that topped the height of the ship (20 to 25 ft (6.1 to 7.6 m) waves). During the early morning hours, Edward Y. Townsend made the decision to take shelter in the St. Clair River, leaving Daniel J. Morrell alone on the waters north of Pointe Aux Barques, Michigan, heading for the protection of Thunder Bay. At 02:00, the ship began her death throes, forcing the crew onto the deck, where many jumped to their deaths in the 34 °F (1 °C) Lake Huron waters. At 02:15, the ship broke in half, with the remaining crew on the bow loading into a raft. While they waited for the bow to sink, there were shouts that a ship had been spotted off the port bow. Moments later, it was discovered that the looming object was not another ship, but Daniel J. Morrell's aft section, barreling towards them under the power of the ship's engine. The bow then sank, throwing the raft into the lake. In the words of writer William Ratigan, the vessel's stern disappeared into the darkness "like a great wounded beast with its head shot off"

The remains of 26 of the 28 lost crewmen were recovered, most in the days following the sinking, although bodies from Daniel J. Morrell continued to be found well into May of the following year. The two men whose bodies were never recovered were declared legally dead in May 1967. The sole survivor of the sinking, Dennis Hale, died of cancer on 2 September 2015, at the age of 75.

Grab your cell phone, VR headset, or your Oculus headset and join me on a dive to the shipwreck Daniel J. Morrell. Footage was shot with the Insta360 One X2...

09/04/2025

The Iron Chief’s Whistle Cries Again – Honoring Lake Huron’s Lost Sailors
Long lost beneath the waves, the steam whistle of the shipwreck Iron Chief was recovered by divers decades ago, saved from the scrap pile, and painstakingly restored. In August 2025, for the first time in generations, this historic whistle echoed across Lake Huron once more — a haunting tribute to the sailors who never made it home. Now, the whistle has found its final home at the Pointe aux Barques Maritime Museum, where its story lives on for all to see.
Join us as we uncover the wreck’s history, the incredible recovery of the whistle, and the moving moment it cried out one last time.

Long lost beneath the waves, the steam whistle of the shipwreck Iron Chief was recovered by divers decades ago, saved from the scrap pile, and painstakingly ...

08/24/2025

Picture gallery of the discovery of the James Carruthers in Lake Huron by the URA team. Picture gallery bt Eric Seals of the Detroit Free Press.

https://www.freep.com/picture-gallery/news/local/michigan/2025/08/24/freighter-ss-james-carruthers-found-in-lake-huron-after-100-years/85743786007/

08/24/2025

Video of the discovery of the James Carruthers ny the URA team. Video by Eric Seals from fhe Detroit Free Press.

https://www.freep.com/videos/news/local/michigan/2025/08/24/ss-james-carruthers-discovery/85781812007/e

08/23/2025

It’s been a fun spring and summer exploring with the URA (Underwater Research Associates). Exciting news in the Detroit Free Press tomorrow!

08/05/2025