Wreck of Montana

September 2019

Step back in time and take a tour of the wreck of the Montana in NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Media Transcript

[Video of diver swimming underwater, adjacent to shipwreck]

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is full of shipwrecks waiting to be explored.

The wreck of Montana is one dive to remember.

[Historical, black and white photo of the Montana]

A wooden steam barge, Montana served as a package freighter and later as a lumber carrier.

[Historical, black and white photo of Montana at sea]

En route from Detroit to Georgian Bay to load up with lumber in September 1914, it caught fire.

[Historical photo of Montana’s stern]

Burned to the water’s edge, Montana sank off Thunder Bay’s North Point.

[Map of Thunder Bay, with boat icons marking the locations of shipwrecks. A yellow circle appears around the location of the sunken Montana]

The crew were all rescued, and today this vessel rests at a depth of 63 feet.

[Video of diver swimming next to shipwreck]

Today, many interesting features of the ship can still be spotted.

[Video of diver swimming close to shipwreck, holding a camera]

Dive in and see if you can find the engine, boiler, shaft, or propeller of the old Montana wreck.

[Screen fades to black. Text reads: “From May through October, you can visit this buoyed shipwreck in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. For more information, visit thunderbay.noaa.gov.”]