In 1899, she was sold to Thomas Munroe of Muskegon, MI and continued her service of carrying lumber. In 1914, the GEORGE C. MARKHAM was sold to George A. Douglas of Detroit, MI and converted to a sand dredge. In 1917, the vessel was again sold to Cadillac Builders Supply in Detroit. In 1923, she was given her final name of JOHN W. CULLEN. After one or two more changes of ownership, the Cullen ended up sunk near Frying Pan island at Detour, MI and was purchased by T. L. Durocher of DeTour, who seemingly intended to raise the vessel and put it back into service. Apparently the John W. Cullen was never raised and to this day remains sunk approximately 600 feet north of Frying Pan Island and a few feet south of the Sainte Marie wreck     

 

The wreckage begins in between 5 and 10 feet of water, just south of the Sainte Marie wreck. The hull is largely intact. All of the machinery (boiler, engine, sand dredging equipment) has been salvaged. Only the hull and a few small artifacts remain at the site. Divers will find this an interesting wreck to explore. 

 

Because this wreck is well north of the entrance to DeTour passage and very close to shore, it is generally protected from wave action and is diveable in almost all weather conditions. This makes it an excellent “back-up” dive site, when the seas are too rough to allow diving on the open lake (Lake Huron).

   

The wreck lies in 5 to 40 feet of water, just south of the Sainte Marie wreck, south of DeTour and approximately 600 feet north of Frying Pan Island. It is accessible from shore at a nearby park in DeTour. Lat/Long Coordinates are: 

 

45º 59.351’ North

83º 53.792’ West

 

 

©Copyright 2009 Mike Spears and the Drummond Island Tourism Association