The wreck of the D. Leuty is one of the most popular dive sites in the Marquette Underwater Preserve. The broken remains of this wooden steamer lie in 5 to 40 feet of water only a few hundred yards off Lighthouse Point near downtown Marquette.

Sinking of the D. Leuty

It was Halloween night, 1911 when the D. Leuty met its end. The 178 foot "lumber hooker" was bound up the lake for Pequaming and a cargo of logs when it encountered a rising snowstorm. The captain headed the vessel toward the shelter of Marquette's harbor. Running blind in the swirling snow, the D. Leuty groped her way forward, hoping to find the harbor entrance by dead reckoning. The Leuty missed by over a mile, slamming into the rock reef just off Lighthouse Point. Although the captain and crew were rescued, the vessel remained aground on the reef for two weeks until Lake Superior tore it to pieces. Several salvage operations eventually recovered the Leuty's engine, boiler, and most of her machinery.

The Dive Site

Today, the wreck of the D. Leuty is scattered on and around the rock reef directly off Lighthouse Point. Three large sections of the wooden hull, including most of her bottom and parts of her sides, lie on the level bottom in 25 to 30 feet of water southwest of the reef. A mooring buoy maintained by the Marquette Underwater Preserve marks this main area of wreckage. Following the base of the reef to the north, divers will find a long piece of the Leuty's iron-sheathed keel. One end rests on the bottom and the keel extends up the sloping side of the reef. Farther north and about thirty feet out from the base of the reef, the steamer's massive rudder lies in 40 feet of water. Smaller metal pieces of the wreck - tools, piping, fasteners and pieces of machinery - can be found scattered throughout the area, from crevices in the top the reef to the sand and pebble bottom on all sides of the reef.

Diving the D. Leuty

Despite its proximity to shore, the D. Leuty dive site is considered a boat dive. The wreck lies only 250 yards off Lighthouse Point, but this entry point is not accessible to divers. Lighthouse Point is part of the grounds of the Marquette Coast Guard station and is closed to the public. The nearest publicly accessible entry point, the beach at McCarty's cove, is at least a quarter mile swim from the wreck site. Only the most experienced divers should attempt to dive the D. Leuty from shore.

Boat launching ramps are available at Marquette's two marinas. The D. Leuty wreck site is about 2 miles by boat from the Cinder Pond Marina in the Lower Harbor near downtown, and about 2 1/2 miles from the Presque Isle Marina on the north side of town. The wreck site is marked by a white and blue mooring buoy. Boaters should exercise caution near the wreck, as there are several barely-submerged rocks in the area.

Emergency Procedures

In case of emergency, the US Coast Guard monitors VHF radio channel 16. Marquette County Central Dispatch can be reached by calling 911. A recompression chamber is available at Marquette General Hospital.