Plan Around Cumberland
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Cumberland Details
In July of 1877, this 204-foot wooden passenger freighter grounded out on a corral reef near the Rock of Ages lighthouse. The boat was Canadian, and Canadian charts did not warn against that reef. Several rescue boats tried to push the Cumberland off of the reef, until a storm broke, thrashing her around until she splintered apart. Pieces of the boat's hull, boiler and side-wheel can be found 20-80 feet deep. The site is marked by a white mooring buoy with blue stripes, connected to a sinker at 35 feet deep. Cumberland is one of nine recognized wreck sites that are marked with mooring buoys. These moorings are only to be used by official dive boats on registered diving operations, with a maximum of two boats per mooring at any time. Check in at one of the park's three visitor centers before heading out on your dive trip. After your dive(s), hand your dive register in or mail it in.
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Open
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Nearby Parks Around Cumberland
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Nearby Points of Interest Around Cumberland
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0.0 mi away
Henry Chisholm
When it was built in 1901, the George M. Cox was originally called The Puritan. It spent seventeen years as a passenger ferry, chartering people between Illinois' Chicago Harbor, and Michigan's Holland Harbor and Benton Harbor. In 1918 the U.S. Navy bought the ship for service in World War I. After two years it was returned to its original haunts along the Great Lakes. When the Great Depression hit in the late 1920s, the ship went idle. Millionaire George M. Cox bought it in 1933, with the notion of putting it back to use in passenger transportation. On its maiden voyage, the George M. Cox ran aground on the Rock of Ages shoals. Crew and passengers (including Cox himself) all found safety in the Rock of Ages lighthouse, while the ship slunk slowly off the rocks and into the water (100 feet of her keel had come out of the water when she ran onto the shoals). The bow section of the boat is in the shallowest water-- just 15 feet-- and has thus suffered from significant wind and ice damage. The stern, as well as the propeller, many exposed pieces of machinery and other artifacts, hide at 40-100 feet and remain a popular diving destination. A mooring buoy is attached to the boiler, at 45 feet deep. Only registered dive boats are allowed at the mooring here, with a maximum of two boats per mooring at any given time. All divers must check in at one of the park visitor centers before embarking, and hand in their dive registry when their trip is over (or mail it in).
5.5 mi away
Grace Island Campground
This campground is located at the mouth of Washington Harbor.
5.5 mi away
America
In June of 1928, the SS America hit a shoal on its way out of Washington Harbor.
6.8 mi away
Feldtmann Lake Campground
Five tent sites but no shelters.
7.1 mi away
Feldtmann Lake Trail
This 10.3-mile hike takes visitors across the high ridge from Feldtmann Lake to Siskiwit Bay.
