St. Paulite returns to Lake Michigan disaster

[eric myers]

St. Paulite returns to Lake Michigan disaster
CUDAHY, Wis. (AP) _ Jerry Lesch returned to the Lake Michigan shoreline in this Milwaukee suburb to remember the sinking of the No. 6 Dredge he was on 50 years ago, killing nine of those aboard.

"It was a rough night," Lesch, 68, now of St. Paul, said Monday of the May 22, 1956, incident four miles offshore.

He was one of 19 men on the 110-foot floating platform as it was towed to shelter amid 55-mph gusts and rolling 12- to 15-foot waves.

The submerged wreckage lies upside down in about 65 feet of water, a popular destination for scuba divers who swim around the remains of the device that had scooped up silt in front of the Oak Creek power plant then under construction.

A Coast Guard investigation concluded that most of the workers should have been taken to shore before a tugboat began towing the dredge in the stormy weather.

Lesch was surprised to hear the dredge is popular among scuba divers.

Jerry Guyer, owner of Pirate's Cove Diving Inc., has dived on the dredge for 25 years and, as a charter boat operator, takes other divers out to the wreckage.

Divers can see the dipper bucket and crane arm on the lake's floor and can swim into the coal bunkers and crew quarters, which are upside down, Guyer said.

"You have to keep your head about you because the floor is above you," Guyer said. "The most unique thing about it is that if you see a flight of stairs and you follow them, you end up on the floor of the dredge."

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Want to dive the 906 Dredge yourself?

Contact: LCM Diving

Go wreck Diving in Lake Michigan from Racine, Wisconsin (just south of Milwaukee. Enjoy our 10+ wrecks in the 75-140ft range, including my favorite the S.S. Wisconsin. Wrecks include: Dredge 906, Prins Wilhem, Norland, Car Ferry Milwuakee, Gillen Tug, Lumberman, S.S. Wisconsin, and many others. Charters are available 7 days a week and weekends.

See a picture of our 30ft boat Rylo!


If interested call Captain William (Bill) Myers at (262) 412-8259

[Freedive WI]

Or contact Jerry guyer at (414) 588-6764.

We run dives out there nearly every week- although a few new wrecks that he's just discovered have taken over as the new favorites.

Here's a shot I took inside.

Jon

[Freedive WI]

Here's the best way to see the overview of the whole wreck-as she sits today. this is a clip from a side scan image that Jerry took when calibrating his new unit.

Top of the Spud is 26' depth at the bottom of the hull, which is upside down, is 50' and it's about 65' to the mud. If you go inside and work your way through to the back of her you can hit 74' pretty easily.

Jon

[jasondbaker]

Cool side scan Jon.  Tell us about some of the new wrecks.  Do I need to take a trip down there this summer? 

[Freedive WI]

There's a bunch. Jerry retired from his regular job last year and bought himself a new side-scan sonar to celibrate with.    His previous one found two wrecks in 20 years. His new one has found 15 in the first year alone- plus a couple of bodies for the fire department.

The main one the divers are requesting is called the "Transfer". She sits in 115' of water and is over 200' long. With vis over 50' there's a lot to see and people want to keep coming back to it.

There are also a series of barges off of the Willy- the second wreck that you dove on when you where here. There are 3 or 4 of them all lined up, along with one of the city's old fire boats- all in about 70'.

A bunch of stuff in 45' of water that's fine to take students to, and a couple of pretty deep ones (300' ish) that he hasn't given out the numbers on yet.

He also had some recent hit's that look to be pretty promising within the past couple of weeks, but he just hasn't had time to check them all out now that the season is in full swing.

Jon

[eric myers]

Jerry Guyer is selling the numbers for the wrecks that he has found lately! I think it was $20, I know because I bought it and it is worht every penny!