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FRED LEE - (N.44.12.422 W.082.45.556) 200 Feet Deep. The Fred Lee was a wooden tugboat built in Port Huron, MI in 1896. The Lee is 70 feet long with a 16 foot beam. She was headed to Sault Ste. Marie when she foundered in heavy seas and sank immediately on November 13th, 1936. All 5 crew were lost. Today she sits upright and intact on the bottom. The exhaust funnel used to be standing but has recently fallen on the wreck. Triple steam whistles and the ships wheel can be seen on the wreck.
The Fred Lee moments before its sinking with the Munson in the background
(Drawing by Robert McGreevy)
The day before the Lee had grounded at Harbor Beach and was pulled free by the Coast Guard the morning of the 13th. Five hours later the crew of the Munson witnessed her sinking. They reached the site fifteen minutes later but only found some floating debris
Drawing of the Fred Lee on the bottom of Lake Huron when first explored.
(Drawing by Robert McGreevy)
Additional Information from Robert McGreevy:
Old school drawing, this was done just after she was found in 1997, from 35 mm slides. Visibility was limited to what you could see directly in front of you, everything else was pitch black. This was a remarkable accomplishment for the time by Dave Trotter and Frank Troxall.
It’s an interesting study in how technology has changed documenting wrecks.
This is a photo mosaic of the wreck that was compiled from images in 2018 of the wreck as it lies on the bottom of Lake Huron.
Below are photogrammetry images of the deck structure of the Fred Lee as it sits today on the bottom of Lake Huron (2020)
Very interesting stuff My Dad Patrick Titus was the fireman on board. I was only 7 months old at the time.
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