Nordmeer

Steel Ocean General Cargo Freighter Back to Shipwrecks GPS Location: N45° 08.161' W83° 09.586'

Depth: 40 Feet

Wreck Length: 471 Feet Beam: 60 Feet

Gross Tonnage: 8,683 Cargo: Rolled steel

Launched: 1954 by Flensburger Schiffs Gesellshaft at Flensburg, Germany

Wrecked: November 19, 1966

Description: The career of the motorship Nordmeer ended abruptly when it miscalculated a turn and ran aground 7 miles northeast of Thunder Bay Island. Some crewmen stayed on board, but they evacuated a few days later when a storm struck and tore open the ship's bottom. Part of the vessel stands out of the water, but years of storms and ice have broken and twisted the hull. The big diesel engine stands amid the wreckage, but the cargo has been removed. A steel barge rests alongside the wreck, a relic of extensive salvage work. Some artifacts may be seen today at NOAA's Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.











