The Griffin, the first ship on the Upper Great Lakes, disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679.
Since then the Lakes have swallowed over 10,000 vessels.
Early wooden ships were often lost to on-board fires.
Many others were destroyed by the Lakes' large storm waves which are so sharp and closely spaced that a ship may not recover from one before another strikes.
The Steamer Minneapolis collided with an ice floe on April 4, 1894.
She sank just west of the south tower of the Mackinac Bridge, but the crew escaped harm.
The Straits of Mackinac have claimed many a ship blown off course onto dangerous shoals submerged outside narrow shipping lanes.
Fog, swift currents, and crushing winter ice also have taken their toll.
In 1983 the Straits were designated a Michigan Bottomland Preserve to protect shipwrecks as historical and recreational resources.
The Cedarville is one of the more recent Straits wrecks and a popular target for divers.
She sank in 1965 after colliding with a Norwegian freighter in dense fog, claiming 10 lives.
Almost 600 feet long, she lies on her side 100 feet down.
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