Shipwrecks and the Great Lakes
When it comes to preserving old shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, the No. 13 is lucky for maritime enthusiasts. That’s what Stephanie Gandulla of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sancutary in Alpena told Rotarians on Tuesday.
“There are 13 national marine sanctuaries in this country and ours is the only one that’s not located on either the West coast or the East coast,” she said. “We protect more than 200 shipwrecks in an area that expanded from 450 miles when we opened in 2000 to more than 4,300 miles today.”
“There are 13 national marine sanctuaries in this country and ours is the only one that’s not located on either the West coast or the East coast,” she said. “We protect more than 200 shipwrecks in an area that expanded from 450 miles when we opened in 2000 to more than 4,300 miles today.” The Great Lakes shipping lane was known as “shipwreck alley,” especially with the violent storms in November that claimed ships from the Edmund Fitzgerald (Nov. 10, 1975) to the Albany, which went down in a storm on Nov. 26, 1853.
The sanctuary features a museum that is located in Alpena on the Thunder Bay River. The museum features exhibits about local shipwrecks, an auditorium, a conservation lab and education areas.
And Rotarians, Stephanie said, will be admitted free. (Shhh, everybody is.).
The program was introduced by our Cindy Ruzak.
Directions - Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is 448 square miles in northwestern Lake Huron near the charming city of Alpena, Mich. Just 1.5 hours south of the Straits of Mackinac; Alpena lies along scenic shoreline highway US23.