Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes, the 191-foot Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing. Learn more about the discovery.
Whats Happening at Thunder Bay
MATE Great Lakes ROV Competition Results
The power of teamwork doesn’t just show up on the basketball court or the soccer field, it is a driving force on ROV (underwater robot) teams as well, and it showed at the MATE Great [...]
CMU Shipwreck Central Class Road Trips to TBNMS!
"Being able to bring them here gives them a core place that they can come and engage others. This experience tends to draw them back to learn more," Jay C. Martin Ph.D., professor of history [...]
High School Team Deploys Autonomous Mini Boat for Research
For the first time since 2019, students from StockbridgeHigh School’s InvenTeam were back in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS), this time deploying their mini boat, Fautasi, from the glass-bottom boat Lady Michigan on May 25, 2023. Four students [...]
ROV Competition Results
The results are in! Today in Alpena, 13 student teams competed in the MATE Great Lakes Regional ROV Competition, hosted by NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This annual event encourages students from all over the Great [...]
Thunder Bay’s Signature Events
Maritime Festival
ROV Competition
Film Festival
