![There is an Abandoned German Cargo Boat Shipwrecked in Lake Michigan](http://townsquare.media/site/999/files/2020/11/south-manitou-island-shipwreck.jpg?w=980&q=75)
There is an Abandoned German Cargo Boat Shipwrecked in Lake Michigan
One of Michigan's most visible shipwrecks is the Francisco Morazan, resting about 300 yards off the southern coast of South Manitou Island, about an hour northwest of Traverse City.
This German cargo ship was 234 feet long and built in 1922 as the 'Arcadia'. The ship's name went under more changes: 'Elbing' (1934), 'Empire Congress' (1945), 'Brunes' (1946), 'Skuld' (1947), 'Ringas' (1948), 'Los Mayas' (1958) and finally the 'Francisco Morazan' in 1958.
In October 1960, the ship's last voyage began in Miami, up through Toronto and into the Great Lakes to Chicago. It left Chicago on November 28 and ran into fog that evening. Later that night, a snowstorm kicked in, snowblinding the crew, causing the ship to run aground just off South Manitou Island, where it remains to this day as state property as shown in the photos below.
The National Parks Service maintains an information page on the shipwreck on the Sleeping Bear Dunes website and explains why the wreckage remains in Lake Michigan's shallow waters abandoned off the South Manitou coast.
The owners of the Francisco Morazan could never be found and nothing was done about removing the ship. It is now home to cormorants and gulls.
The wreckage is now legally owned by the state of Michigan and part of the Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve which has oversite of several diving sites and shipwrecks in the historic shipping channel.
To visit by land and observe the wreck, can take a 2.5 mile hike from the village on the island and view it from shore.
Video Tours of the Shipwreck
![97.9 WGRD logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/WGRDFM.png?w=100)
UP NEXT: Your Own Personal Haunted Michigan Lighthouse Tour Roadtrip
More From 97.9 WGRD
![What Happened to The Great Lakes’ ‘Holy Grail’ Of Shipwrecks?](http://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2024/07/attachment-lake-michigan-le-griffon-shipwreck.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Expert Reveals Michigander’s Biggest Worry On Vacation](http://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2024/07/attachment-bad-sleep-vacation.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![PRICE DROP: Michigan Castle With Drawbridge, Secret Passages Still Up For Sale](http://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2023/03/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-04-05T144719.087.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Should Michiganders Really Be Worried About Quicksand?](http://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2024/07/attachment-quicksand-in-michigan.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![These 10 Places In Michigan Are Constantly Mispronounced](http://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2024/07/attachment-confusing-michigan-names.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![This Michigan Restaurant Named the Best Place for French Fries](http://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2024/02/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-02-27T150814.626.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Lansing’s Biggest Eyesore May Finally Be Demolished](http://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2024/04/attachment-neller-building.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![This Abandoned Barn in Illinois Must Have Been an Epic Party Spot](http://townsquare.media/site/999/files/2023/03/attachment-abandoned-barn.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Whiskey On 170-Year-Old Lake Michigan Wreck Could Be Worth Millions Of Dollars](http://townsquare.media/site/690/files/2023/02/attachment-Untitled-design-2023-02-24T072323.046.jpg?w=980&q=75)