There are many markers and displays in Sheboygan that celebrate the maritime history of the region. Sheboygan was in the middle of an early shipping route. Early sailing and steam vessels lacked the technology that we have today to communicate with each other, navigate clearly and avoid collisions.
The coordinates for a marker that shows the locations of many of the known shipwrecks of Sheboygan County is your first waypoint:
43 44.902
087 42.234
Read the marker to find clues to the next waypoint:
Number of vessels lost in the waters near Sheboygan + water depth at the “Hetty Taylor” shipwreck site = ABC
43 45.8BC
087 4A.75A
The second waypoint will place you at a historic marker for the most well-known shipwreck in Sheboygan. Although it is well-known we do not know the exact location of the wreck. From this point, onlookers could see the steamer ablaze in the distance to the north. Many immigrants perished in the fire or drowned trying to escape the vessel. The ship burned to the waterline where the flames finally extinguished. The hulk was towed into Sheboygan and tied up in the harbor where it eventually sank. Over many years of dredging and harbor improvements, the location of the shipwreck was forgotten and is thought to remain under deep overburden or under a parking lot.
Use information from the historic marker to decipher coordinates for the third waypoint.
Number of estimated passengers - number of survivors = EFG
43 45.EF6
087 42.23G
This third waypoint will take you the remains of a shipwreck removed from Sheboygan’s harbor. This is the only known shipwreck on permanent display and is used often by classes teaching future underwater archaeologist how to survey and record vessels. Use information from the information panel to decipher information for the fourth waypoint.
The year the ship was put on display + tonnage of the vessel = HIJK.LM
43 JK.903
087 L1.93I
On a calm day from this fourth waypoint, you can see though the water the remains of the shipwreck “Ahnapee”, a scow schooner lost in 1884. While bound from Torch Lake, Mich., to Milwaukee or Chicago, the Ahnapee ran ashore on Sheboygan's North Point in fog, 2 1/2 miles north of the life-saving service station. Crew were rescued by a life-saving crew using a surfboard in tow of a tug. The tug Welcome was brought from Milwaukee to release the schooner but salvage efforts were unsuccessful, and the Ahnapee became a total loss.
Read the informational sign to find the final waypoint.
Number of miles North Point extends out into the lake + 2577= NOPQ
43 46.0QP
087 4N.0QO
This cache was placed as a partnership with Wisconsin Historical Society, the City of Sheboygan and Wisconsin Maritime Museum. We hope you enjoyed learning about shipwreck around Sheboygan. To learn more about Wisconsin’s maritime heritage please visit our other geocaches in the Sheboygan area and throughout the state, visit wisconsinshipwrecks.org!