[water splashing] - Diver: All right, you good?
- Willie: Yeah, mon! - Diver: All right.
- Narrator: Six miles southeast of Kenosha, Wisconsin,
a team of divers prepares to investigate
a nearly 100-year-old shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
[water bubbling]
Even in peak summer heat,
temperatures at the bottom of the lake
rarely exceed 40 degrees.
Divers wear dry suits to protect themselves from exposure.
But the suits are heavy,
and after gearing up under the hot sun,
the abrupt change in temperature can be overwhelming.
A mooring buoy, attached to the shipwreck below
by a length of chain,
provides a safe point of descent for divers.
Variable lake conditions
make judging visibility in these waters difficult.
Today's visibility is considered fair,
with ranges up to 50 feet.
Emerging from the hazy depths,
the bow of a ship comes into view.
The S.S. Wisconsin , a freight and passenger steamer
once vital to the Great Lakes regional economy,
lies preserved under 130 feet of cold Lake Michigan water.
Remains of her passenger cabins
can be spotted next to the collapsed smoke stack.
As the S.S. Wisconsin sank,
building air pressure from the upper levels of the ship
blasted apart the passenger cabins,
leaving the framing of the ship's hull mostly intact.
The vessel lies upright and is now heavily encrusted
with a mass of invasive quagga mussels.
Even so, the wreck is considered by experts
to retain excellent physical integrity.
The S.S. Wisconsin is one of more than 700 shipwrecks
in Wisconsin waterways.
This ship has allowed historians, archaeologists,
and divers the opportunity to examine a rare vessel type
that was once popular on the Great Lakes.
Interior access to the ship can be gained
through various entry points along the shipwreck.
As we approach the forecastle deck,
divers have sight lines into the inner hull.
At the bow, the capstan and davit are still intact.
[radar pinging]
The shipwrecks of the Great Lakes
are considered some of the best in the world.
Cold, fresh water preserves artifacts better
than salt water, and Wisconsin's unique submerged heritage
will be preserved for generations to come.
[electronic beeping]