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On the bottom of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes lie the wrecks of over 700 ships.
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TUESDAY, NOV. 30, 2021 | 1HR 29M 22S
Shipwrecks!
On the bottom of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes lie the wrecks of over 700 ships. Each one tells a story about the state’s maritime history; the mariners that worked on them; the industries and communities they served and the dangers of the lakes. Shipwrecks! tells a story of exploration, and takes viewers below the surface to an underwater museum of marvel. Photography for banner and signature show image by Andrew Orr.
Donate and receive a thank-you gift
When you make a donation, you can receive Shipwrecks! related merchandise as our way of saying thanks for supporting PBS Wisconsin. Show premiums include a complete DVD of the program, the book, Stories From the Wreckage (2019), published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, and a virtual reality (VR) viewer to explore three different Shipwrecks! digital immersive experiences. Click to enter the pledge cart, then search “shipwrecks” or use the “Search by Program” drop-down menu.
The SS Wisconsin was a packet and passenger steamer that sank off the shores of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on October 29th, 1929. Shipwrecks! The Immersive Experience is a collection of three experiences that offers you a chance to explore the SS Wisconsin’s history through multiple lenses. The 3D models were generated in partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery by using a combination of extensive research and lidar scanning methods.
To navigate the experience in a cardboard VR viewer, please refer to the instructions here.
SS Wisconsin: 360 Dive
Dive down to the site of the SS Wisconsin shipwreck in this immersive, underwater 360-degree video.
SS Wisconsin: The Sinking
Explore a recreated model of the SS Wisconsin on the night it sank, listen to survivor accounts, and discover the events which led to its sinking.
SS Wisconsin: Shipwreck
Dive into this interactive, exploratory tour of the SS Wisconsin in its current shipwrecked state. Investigate the shipwreck and discover underwater footage inside this historic site.
The Legend of the Lost Emerald
History, legend, and maritime archeology align in The Legend of the Lost Emerald, a new educational video game. The game gives students in 4th-6th grade the opportunity to use the tools, practices, and skills associated with maritime archaeology to locate and dive for shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Learners will start with a mystery and use historical inquiry skills to uncover the real treasure —the stories behind the legendary shipwrecks. The game is the result of a partnership between PBS Wisconsin Education, University of Wisconsin Madison’s Field Day Lab, Wisconsin educators, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Historical Society, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Funding for Shipwrecks! is provided by the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, the Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation, Dr. Henry Anderson and Shirley Levine, Robert J. Lenz, A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust, the City of Sheboygan, Elizabeth Parker, in memory of George S. Parker II, Sharon and Tim Thousand, the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Ron and Colleen Weyers, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the John. J. Frautschi Family Foundation, Trust Point, Ellsworth and Carla Peterson Charitable Foundation, the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
Funding for the Legend of the Lost Emerald is provided by the Floating Eyeballs Family Fund, the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, the Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation, Dr. Henry Anderson and Shirley Levine, Elizabeth Olson, Robert J. Lenz, the Wooden Nickel Fund, A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust, the City of Sheboygan, Elizabeth Parker, in memory of George S. Parker II, Sharon and Tim Thousand, the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Ron and Colleen Weyers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Sea Grant, the John. J. Frautschi Family Foundation, Trust Point, Ellsworth and Carla Peterson Charitable Foundation, the Timothy William Trout Education Fund, a gift of Monroe and Sandra Trout, the Focus Fund for Education, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
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