The brig Sandusky was built in Sandusky, Ohio and is the oldest known shipwreck in the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve. The Sandusky sank in September 1856 on her voyage from Chicago to Buffalo with a load of grain. Her demise was due to a violent gale that sprang up in northern Lake Michigan and caught the Sandusky in the Straits. The side-wheeler Queen City tried to rescue three of the crew that clung to her masts that extended above the waves but was unsuccessful.
Randall Purdy Exploring the Bow of the Sandusky
Divers Randall Purdy & Terry Kovar exploring the Sandusky Bow
Bilge Pump and Centerboard Winch on the Sandusky
Tiller Arm
Diver Terry Kovar beside the Centerboard Box & Capstan
Sandusky Rudder
Sandusky Windlass
Starboard Side of the Sandusky Scroll Figurehead
Small Portion of the broken Wheel Cradle
Port Side of the Sandusky Scroll Figurehead
Terry Kovar Exploring the Sandusky
Scroll Figurehead under the Jib-boom of the Sandusky
Exploring the Sandusky
Sandusky Bow
Bow the Sandusky with Windlass in place
Diver Randall Purdy Exploring the Bow of the Sandusky
The Sandusky is a 110-foot brig that was built in 1848. The Sandusky had once foundered at the tip of Long Point in Lake Erie and refloated. The figurehead on the shipwreck is a replica. The original figurehead was removed from the wreck site but later recovered and is now on display at the Old Mackinac Point Light in Mackinaw City. The topmast lies from the port rail to the lake bottom. Other items that can be found on the shipwreck are the centreboard winch, bilge pump, scroll figurehead that adorns her bow below the intact jib-boom and windlass.