CROSS VILLAGE, MI (AP)-- A Michigan shipwreck diver says he has discovered a cluster of wrecks in northern Lake Michigan.
The Grand Rapids Press reports Ross Richardson of Lake Ann said he uncovered the wrecks this summer in the waters around the small Island of Skillagalee, located between Beaver Island and the northern Lower Peninsula community of Cross Village.
He says he believes his discoveries include the remains of a 226-foot sidewheel steamer that sank in 1850 called A.D. Patchin. That shipwreck prompted the construction of a lighthouse on the island to warn crews of nearby reefs. The wreck is below about 30-35 feet of water.
Richardson says he was looking for undiscovered wrecks that had a last known position in the vicinity. He found four other wreck sites during his three trips to the island.