Lake Michigan shipwreck a great underwater adventure travel destination

    Matt Delejewski exploring the Material Service Barge - all photos property of Matt Delejewski

Lake Michigan shipwrecks offer the underwater adventure traveler great opportunities to explore.  According to Orland Park resident and DePaul graduate Matt Delejewski, the best local wreck is the Material Service Barge.  The barge sunk right off the Illinois and Indiana border.

Many people enjoy touring battlefields due to the rich history of the ground that they are walking.  The same is true of shipwrecks.  Matt, who is a history teacher, gets the same feeling when exploring a shipwreck as when he is touring a famous historic place on land.  It is hallowed ground with an interesting story to tell and whether walking or diving there is an eerie feeling traversing historic sites.  This is especially true where people died.

The Material Service Barge was actually the worst shipping disaster in Chicago history according to an article by Richard C. Drew.  Henry Crown, CEO of the Material Service Company wanted a ship that could navigate up the Chicago River without raising the bridges.  The Material Service Barge was made with these specifications in mind and was constructed for $350,000 in 1929.

On July 28, 1936 the barge took off from Lockport on 5:31pm loaded with sand.  The ships destination was the Calumet Harbor, but before arrival the lake started getting choppy after midnight.  Most of the crew of 22 was asleep when one crew member discovered an unusual amount of water coming in.  The pumps went into action, but it was too late and five minutes from the harbor the ship went down taking the life of the Captain, Chief Engineer and 14 others.

The panicked shouts of dying crew members no longer remain as the zebra mussel, freshwater sponge, and wondering fish now call the barge home.  The only sound one can hear is the eerie pitch of oxygen tanks and bubbles as divers explore the wreck in the murky depths.

The wreck lies in 30 feet of water in Indiana waters easily accessible to Chicago divers.  The Material Service Barge is one of many shipwrecks in the Chicago area and one of thousands in the Great Lakes. 

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