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PBS Documentary “Shipwrecks!” Premiers Nov. 30

On the bottom of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes lie the wrecks of more than 700 ships. Each one tells a story about the state’s maritime history, the mariners who worked on them, the industries and communities they served, and the dangers of the unforgiving lakes. 

PBS Wisconsin’s newest documentary, Shipwrecks!, premieres Nov. 30, 7 pm, on PBS Wisconsin to tell a story of exploration as it takes viewers below the surface to a huge, underwater museum.

Archival film, images and interviews with maritime historians, Great Lakes divers and shipwreck hunters illustrate the pioneering efforts of Wisconsinites to develop new diving technologies to explore and understand shipwrecks. Viewers also learn about the early “finders, keepers” mentality toward shipwrecks.

Complementing the Shipwrecks! documentary are free resources, including interactive virtual-reality experiences and an educational, online video game, to be released next year, that will give students the opportunity to engage in maritime archaeology to locate and dive for Great Lakes shipwrecks.

Pere Marquette
The Sinking of the Pere Marquette. Wisconsin Historical Society