Lake Michigan shipwreck earns National Register spot
By Eric Freedman and Great Lakes Echo | May 2, 2025
Debris from a launch that sank on Green Bay’s Little Harbor. Image: Wisconsin Historical Society
The National Park Service has put another Lake Michigan shipwreck on the National Register of Historic Places.
But most of the boat’s history remains unknown.
The name of the gas-powered launch that sank in Green Bay’s Little Harbor is unknown.
So is the identity of the company that built the boat.
And so is the year it was built.
And so is the year it sank.
And so is the reason for its loss.
The National Register is the “nation’s official list of historic places worthy of preservation. Among them are shipwrecks, buildings, sites, districts and structures.”
“The Little Harbor Launch represents a class of vessel – the gasoline launch – that transported fisherfolk, hunters, freight, workers, vacationers and more throughout the (Door) Peninsula region,” according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
It was “likely built sometime between 1890 and 1930, and measuring 29.5 feet in length,” the society said, and it’s now partly embedded in 92 feet of water
All that remains of an unidentified gas launch that sank in 92 feet of water: Wisconsin Historical Society
The wreck is near Sevastopol, north of the Sherwood Point Lighthouse, in Door County, but its exact location hasn’t been made public.
To put the discovery in context, the society said there isn’t much historical documentation on the construction and operation of Great Lakes launches, even though they were “once ubiquitous.”
“This type of vessel was constructed regionally between approximately 1890 and 1950. 1890 to 1930 – reflects the period during which the gasoline launch was most abundantly used in Wisconsin and the Midwest,” the society saido
Although gasoline launches were common at the time, they varied in design and size.
“No comparative archaeological work on launches has been conducted in the Great Lakes to examine how these vessels were constructed,” the society said
The wreck provides opportunities for additional research, according to the society.
“Due to the high level of hull integrity, the Little Harbor launch has vast potential to yield further information through future archaeological investigations,” it said.
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Registration Now Open for Annual Soo Boatnerd Cruise
Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Freighter Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River!
- When: Friday, June 27, 6-9 pm, rain or shine
- Where: Soo Locks Boat Tours, Dock #2 (next to the Valley Camp)
- Limit: 100 passengers
- Food: Pizza and salad included with paid passage
- General Adult Admission:
-Early Bird Adult $35.00 each (through May 31)
-Regular Adult $40.00 each (June 1-June 20)
-Procrastinator Adult $45 each (after June 20)
- Youth Admission, age 5-17: $15 flat rate
- Youth Admission, age 4 and under: FREE
- Students (age 18+) with a current, valid i.d. get a $5 discount off an adult ticket. The student must present their student i.d. when boarding.
This year’s St. Mary’s River cruise will be aboard a Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours boat on Friday, June 27. Boarding begins at 5:30 pm, and we cast off at 6pm. The cruise is three hours long. We plan to travel through the U.S. Locks, but that may change in order to chase freighters.
Pizza and salad are included in paid passage. There will be a cash bar on board. You can bring your own food and beverages (you cannot bring alcohol).
Reservations are a must, as the group is limited to 100 passengers. Mailed checks must be received no later than Friday, June 20.
If the cruise is not sold out by June 20, we will take online or cash (US funds only) reservations at the Procrastinator Price of $45.00 per General Admission ticket. Youth ticket rates stay the same as listed above.
Click link below to buy your ticket(s) online.
Contact Angie at griffinclawangie@gmail.com or 734-386-0899 if you have questions or to request any refunds. No refunds will be issued after June 19.
