Lake Michigan is so clear this time of year that its shipwrecks are visible from the air!

The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City spotted the wrecks while on a routine patrol in the shallow waters near Sleeping Bear Point last week.  The waters are only this clear after the lake's ice melts and before algae takes over.

I had to do some research on algae and find out how it affects visibility.  According to The United States Environmental Protection Agency, algae thrive during the summer because “warmer water is easier for small organisms to move through and allows algae to float to the surface faster and become thicker.”  Algae is the reason for murky water.  (There’s your science lesson for the day).

The Coast Guard took the pictures near Sleeping Bear Point, known as the Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve, which is "one of the richest areas in Michigan for shipwreck diving," according to the preserve’s website. The lumber industry used the Manitou Passage as a shipping route because it provided a safe haven for ships hiding from storms.

According to NPR seeing underwater shipwrecks is more common than we think, but Lieutenant Commander Charlie Wilson, who was on patrol that day said, "but not in the numbers we saw on that flight."

I never knew that Lake Michigan was a hotspot for shipwrecks!  The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality writes, "An estimated 6,000 vessels were lost on the Great Lakes with approximately 1,500 of these ships located in Michigan waters."

When summer hits and algae takes over, you will no longer be able to see the wreckage.  Here are the photos taken by the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City:

An unidentified wreck. Photo By: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
An unidentified wreck. Photo By: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
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A wreck in shallow waters near a cliff. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
A wreck in shallow waters near a cliff. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
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This 133-foot long wooden steamer, the Rising Sun, is in 6 to 12 feet of water just north of Pyramid Point, where she stranded on October 29, 1917. All 32 people on board were saved. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
This 133-foot long wooden steamer, the Rising Sun, is in 6 to 12 feet of water just north of Pyramid Point, where she stranded on October 29, 1917. All 32 people on board were saved. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
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James McBride: The 121 foot brig James McBride ran aground during a storm on October 19, 1857. Her remains lie in 5 to 15 feet of water near Sleeping Bear Point.
The James McBride was built as a brig and measured 121 feet in length with a beam of 25 feet. She was launched April fool’s day 1848. Late in 1848, the McBride sailed to the Atlantic Ocean to pick up a cargo of salt at Turk Island. On her return she stopped at Nova Scotia and added codfish to her manifest. She delivered her cargo to Chicago on December 4, 1848. This trip created a sensation because it was believed to be the first cargo carried direct from the Atlantic to a Lake Michigan port. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
James McBride: The 121 foot brig James McBride ran aground during a storm on October 19, 1857. Her remains lie in 5 to 15 feet of water near Sleeping Bear Point.
The James McBride was built as a brig and measured 121 feet in length with a beam of 25 feet. She was launched April fool’s day 1848. Late in 1848, the McBride sailed to the Atlantic Ocean to pick up a cargo of salt at Turk Island. On her return she stopped at Nova Scotia and added codfish to her manifest. She delivered her cargo to Chicago on December 4, 1848. This trip created a sensation because it was believed to be the first cargo carried direct from the Atlantic to a Lake Michigan port. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
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