Type: Shipwreck
Build: Wooden steamer
Location: Lake Huron, Michigan
Depth: 220'
Length: 271'
Built: 1889
Sunk: 1897
Access: Boat
Level: Technical
Orientation: Upright
Whatever you do, don't dive the Florida. This wreck will spoil you and other
wrecks just won't seem the same. It's that good.
It's tempting to leave the description at that and let the photos do the talking, but that would just be wrong. This wreck reminds me of the Jack Nicholson line to Helen Hunt in... whatever that movie was (As Good As It Gets): "You make me wanna be a better man." This wreck makes me wanna be a better diver - I wish I could spend hours in the holds finding out what's there.
I've only seen two wrecks so far that have a barrel still on them (Straubenzie and Bermuda), but this one has... a lot more than one. It would appear the hold was full of them, and while there are plenty of barrel parts lying all over the place and many have survived intact. How intact? Intact enough to be floating and pinned to the ceiling of the hold. At least some were reported to be carrying booze, and since they are still floating, and since alcohol is lighter than water, it suggests to me they might still be full (that's how intact they are). Someone on the boat suggested that if you clean off some of the barrels they still say WHISKEY on them. Sounds like a bad place for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
There's alot of damage to the stern (from impacting the bottom, it would appear) and one of the walls of one of the cabins is missing, and the masts are down, but that's it for damage (aside from the massive gash in the side where it was struck by the steamer George W. Roby). The stern damage allows for an outstanding view of the engine and five brass gauges. There's also a capstan cover that has been placed on the engine, complete with the name of the ship (the identity of this one didn't stay a mystery for long). A quick list of other items of interest includes: two cabins (one with an axe still in its holder on the wall), prop, D-shaped crows nests, hand carts, flagpole with the ball still attached to the top, anchors through the bow, and a lantern.
