Courtesy Photo The grounded Nordmeer is pictured in the late 1960s.

ALPENA – Launched in 1954 from West Germany’s Flensburger Schiffs Gesellshaft shipyard, was the 471-foot MV Nordmeer. In November 1966, the vessel was en route from Hamburg, Germany to Chicago with steel coils. From Chicago, the coils would be transferred to Milwaukee.

It was the Nordmeer’s first voyage through the Saint Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes.

On the clear night of Saturday, Nov. 19, 1966, the Nordmeer was seven miles north of Thunder Bay Island. As the ship headed north, it came across the flashing Thunder Bay Shoal buoy.

The Nordmeer was piloted in the wrong direction around the buoy and quickly grounded on the jagged shoal. A major gash flooded all the cargo holds, as well as the multi-level engine room. Within minutes the 12-year-old ocean freighter settled onto Lake Huron’s bottom.

By the end of the day on Nov. 20, the United States Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw brought 35 Nordmeer crew members safely into Alpena. The ship’s captain and seven crew members remained on board to assess and begin a salvage operation.

According to Alpena resident, Carole Cadarette, the crew was accommodated at the then, Kentucky Motor Lodge located near the Chisholm Street and Third Avenue intersection.

Another member of the Normeer’s crew, was a two-year dog called Goofy. According to an Alpena News account, the pooch, originally from the Carney Islands, made its way to Alpena, seeking to be adopted by a household that could offer commands in fluent German.

The Mackinaw returned to Cheboygan. An assessment was made to pump out the Nordmeer and patch the hull so the ship and cargo could be salvaged.

A week later, the gales of November struck the Great Lakes region. The Nordmeer faced 50 mph winds and 22-foot waves.

The possibility of a full salvage was scuttled by 1968.

An Alpena News account noted that Philadelphia-based Glen Steel Company was awarded the cargo salvage contract. Each steel coil is said to have weighed 10 tons. It was a six-month process removing the 989 coils. A 50-year anniversary public presentation on the Nordmeer at the Alpena George N. Fletcher Public Library indicated Alpena Steel and Wire (now known as Alro Steel) was involved with this salvage process.

In 1969, a forest firefighting aircraft flew over the Nordmeer and the flight crew noticed a massive oil slick. The ship still had 21,000 gallons of fuel in its hull. Any shift of the hull would be catastrophic for the Thunder Bay region. Led by the diving team of Bob Massey and Dave Funk, all located fuel was removed.

The fuel was acquired by a Tawas salvage firm, which cleansed it to be used for multiple purposes.

By early fall 1970, there were visible indications again that fuel was still on board. It appeared to be contained in the fuel lines. Alpena News and Detroit Free Press news accounts revealed each fuel tank had to be blown by explosives at its top and bottom to show the fuel was fully drained. These detonations occurred after all remaining fuel was siphoned off the Nordmeer.

Over the decades, the Nordmeer faced Lake Huron’s severe lake elements. By the summer of 1998, only a small portion of the Nordmeer could be seen above the waterline.

The German vessel is now fully submerged on Lake Huron’s bottom.

Numerous surface and diving expeditions have occurred on the vessel and can be viewed on YouTube. The diving is noted as quite dangerous and challenging.

A variety of Nordmeer artifacts can be seen at Alpena’s Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

Today, the Nordmeer is protected, and artifacts can no longer be removed from the wreck.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.

Want More Information on the

Nordmeer?

* Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center displays numerous Nordmeer artifacts

* Various Nordmeer onboard and diving videos are available on YouTube

* Based on shipboard recovery, WBKB-TV-11 offers a sample meal served onboard the Nordmeer. The video can be found on YouTube

* Mark Thompson, of the Presque Isle County Historical Museum, offers a two-part 50th-anniversary Nordmeer educational presentation conducted at the George N. Fletcher Library. These can be viewed on YouTube.