Madeira/Hesper intel

[rcojr]

Back in the 70s someone (Jerry?) had the idea to use the steel wrecks to practice underwater cutting and welding.
In the 80s someone realized the wood wrecks (Hesper) are from first growth forests. Their plan was to harvest the wood and use it to make fine furniture.
The Historical Society and the divers put an end to their plans.
In Jerry's defence in the 90s he was one of the founding members of the GLSPS
Bob

[grumpie]

thank you, its a wonder all the info thats out there when you see things and ask. our world is a wonderful place.

[BigC]

Thanks for the info everyone. He definitely was wrong on this one.
I love the history behind it and want to dive it so bad.
Perhaps next yr as I am thinking it might be too cold in a 7mm farmers. Then again........I was fine at Wazee in it 2 or 3 weekends ago......

[Terry]

                Hey Big C!
                            I first dove the Madiera of my 8th dive on 8-1-80 (had to check my log books to see) and I again dove it last Sun the 3rd with my pony, (as much of a dive buddy as I had with me at the time), seems Finlayson might of been nursing a hangover on his boat the Fortatude, back at Silver Bay Marina, and Molly was on my boat the Impulse, enjoying the sun, she dosent dive. Anyway back to the Madiera, on Nov 28 of this year she'll have been underwater 105 years, she was originally 436' long and 5039 ton, triple masted without any engine for propulsion, if your buddy thought she was going to be intact, after a lot of flat stock being salvaged for the war effort, along with other salvage efforts over the years, and a 100+ years of waves, ice and rust have taken their toll, well no wonder he thought there was nothing left. I remember the older gal who did the lighthouse tours stating that the wreck looked, "just like the picture", to someone who asked what it looked like now, well no wonder your friend wasnt impressed.
                            To me it looks the same, ( as the first time I saw it) the bow still points up out of the bottom, (the first bouy on the surface) coming close to 30', you can still swim about inside it, whoops,,,,, with the proper training, keep the bank of Golden Rock to your left as you swim out and you'll come to the stern ( the second bouy on the surface) another large intact section you can swim about, with anchor chain, piping and the like just like the bow, back to the bank and as you swim out you'll come to the pilothouse, about the size of a full bathroom with less privacy, today its about 70' down, you'll find sand bottom out here and at 105' I found 44 degrees, doable in a good 7mil farmer john, hell thats how I did it the first time, but I never went back, without a drysuit. The Madiera has to be the most dove wreck on the North Shore, for a few reasons, its accessable from shore, its partially intact, its tough to get too lost, its in reasonable depths, it has interesting history, is she the smaller sister to the Emperor, up on the north end of Isle Royale, no not even when they were both on the surface, but its a lot easier to get to. I still look forward to going to see it.        TRINITY

[BigC]

Hey thanks for the history lesson and the report!!
Sounds like a great way to spend the sunny weather...my wife does not dive either. Petrified of the claustrophobic feeling of being under.
Makes me even more excited to dive it. I was supposed to go up with scubafreak (Rob) a few weeks ago but I was told that I had other engagements planned by the mother on law.......lol. Family day at the Renaissance fair.....so I ended up drinking beer and smoking a stogie during the day. Ah well........what are your thoughts on diving it now or in the month of Oct. I hear the waves and weather can get bad coming soon.

Brent