Nordmeer
Ocean Freighter · West Germany · Lost 1966 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A West German ocean freighter on her first Great Lakes voyage ran aground on Thunder Bay Island shoal in 1966; her crew escaped safely.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Nordmeer was a steel-hulled ocean freighter built in 1954 in Flensburg, West Germany. On her first voyage into the Great Lakes, carrying rolled steel toward Chicago, she ran aground on the shoal off Thunder Bay Island on November 19, 1966. Her 37 crew took to lifeboats and were rescued by the steamer Samuel Mather; the captain and remaining crew were later also brought off safely. She was the first ocean-going vessel to wreck in Thunder Bay, and her hull remained visible above the surface for years before eventually breaking apart.
Vessel
- 1954
- LR 525650
- Flensburger Schiffs Gesellschaft
- Flensburg, West Germany
- Steel
- 471 ft
- 60 ft
- 8683
- Diesel, single screw
- Flensburger Schiffs Gesellschaft
Loss
- November 19, 1966
- Grounding
- Near Thunder Bay Island shoal, Lake Huron
- Lake Huron
- Chicago, Illinois
- Rolled steel
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 40 ft
- Broken apart on the shoal, partially visible above water for years after sinking.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 45.136° N 83.160° W
- Surveyed position
- Thunder Bay Island, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Build, dimensions, loss date, depth, position.
Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
Rescue narrative and crew count.
