1 of 13
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Shipwrecks Alive!
The "Shipwrecks Alive!" exhibit at Duluth's Great Lakes Aquarium opened July 3 after eight months of construction. It explores three different wreck sites.
2 of 13
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Shipwrecks Alive!
The actual staircase from the Isle Royale wreck America was donated to the exhibit by Lake Superior Magazine's Cindy and Paul Hayden.
3 of 13
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Shipwrecks Alive!
4 of 13
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Shipwrecks Alive!
5 of 13
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Shipwrecks Alive!
6 of 13
Konnie LeMay / Lake Superior Magazine
Shipwrecks Alive!
7 of 13
Konnie LeMay / Lake Superior Magazine
Shipwrecks Alive!
8 of 13
Courtesy Great Lakes Aquarium
Shipwrecks Alive!
Great Lakes Aquarium Operations Manager Jay Walker transfers fish to acclimating tubs in late April after a shipment of nearly 200 fish arrived from Australia, including tropical fish and grouper. Most will be part of the “Wreck as Habitat,” display tank about Truk Lagoon in Micronesia.
9 of 13
Courtesy Great Lakes Aquarium
Shipwrecks Alive!
A 5-foot-long zebra shark is the largest animal to be featured in the new “Shipwrecks Alive!” exhibit and will be seen swimming in the 10,000-gallon tank of the “Wreck of Antiquity” display.
10 of 13
Courtesy Great Lakes Aquarium
Shipwrecks Alive!
A graphic depicts the exhibit’s “Wreck Preserved” display about the Lake Superior shipwreck America. The ship’s actual staircase was donated for display by Cindy and Paul Hayden, owners of Lake Superior Magazine. The late Jim Marshall, former owner of the magazine, had salvage rights to the wreck.
11 of 13
Courtesy Great Lakes Aquarium
Shipwrecks Alive!
A graphic depicts the “Wrecks Become Habitat” display in the “Shipwrecks Alive!” exhibit, focusing on Truk Lagoon in Micronesia in the South Pacific, site of a graveyard for World War II Japanese vessels and planes. The display tells how marine life has colonized the site, and features colorful fish species.
12 of 13
Courtesy Great Lakes Aquarium
Shipwrecks Alive!
This graphic depicts the “Wreck of Antiquity” display with its ancient Roman merchant vessel and a viewing window to see through to the wreck debris, including amphora pots that would carry typical cargo. Visitors can also check out the marine life, which includes a zebra shark.
13 of 13
Courtesy Great Lakes Aquarium
Shipwrecks Alive!
This graphic shows the overall floorplan for Great Lakes Aquarium’s new “Shipwrecks Alive!” exhibit opening in July and positions of the main sections.
What’s it like to scuba dive at a shipwreck? How does a Lake Superior wreck differ from one in the South Pacific?
You’ll find the answers at Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. Opening July 3, “Shipwrecks Alive!” is a new exhibit exploring three different wreck sites: the America at Isle Royale in Lake Superior; Truk Lagoon’s graveyard of World War II Japanese ships and planes in Micronesia in the South Pacific; and a general re-creation of an ancient Roman merchant vessel in the Mediterranean.
Unlike most wreck exhibits, “Shipwrecks Alive!” is less a maritime story and more about aquatic and marine life, says Sarah Erickson, education director. “It’s really about what happens after these ships go down. How do they interact with their environment? How does the wildlife colonize the structure? How do the physical materials of the ship degrade over time? And how does that differ between salt water and fresh water? Temperate versus cold water? All those things play into what happens to these structures after they sink.”
The new exhibit gives the illusion of an underwater experience. The SS America is spotlighted as a wreck preserved. “We’re basically creating what it would look like … at the stern of the ship, what it looks like underwater in this 3-D relief that’s 15-feet tall. So it will give you that sense that this is a large thing.”
The America, a 1928 shipwreck, was selected in part because of the aquarium’s close ties to a local feature – the ship’s actual staircase, donated for display by Cindy and Paul Hayden, owners of Lake Superior Magazine. The late Jim Marshall, former owner of the magazine, had salvage rights to the wreck. The staircase was reunited a few years ago with the railing, contributed by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society.
“We’re trying to give the illusion throughout the exhibit that you are having this experience underwater, so there are components that are focusing on how we explore wrecks,” Sarah explains. The evolution of scuba diving as a recreational sport, with all of its gear, will be included.
While the America is a “Wreck Preserved,” the Truk Lagoon display focuses on “Wrecks as Habitat” for plants and animals. “It is a place that has been colonized by marine life over time,” Sarah says.
Truk Lagoon is an area filled with planes and ships destroyed during World War II. It’s a popular dive site, but it can also be dangerous because many of the ships still contain live munitions, Sarah says. For the exhibit, a large tank will contain colorful species, native to the location, such as porcupine pufferfish, longhorn cowfish and scissortail goby.
“This is a warm-water marine environment. For this story, we’re going to be talking about how marine life does colonize ships and that there’s a sort of pattern to it,” Sarah says.
To create a sense of being underwater, a 12- to 14-foot photo mural will cover the wall and the area above them. “We have video footage of diving on some of those wrecks that we’re weaving together to give people, again, that first-hand perspective.”
The third part of the new exhibit is called “Wreck of Antiquity” and depicts the site of a shipwreck from 2,000 years ago. The only thing that would be found at the site of a real wreck in the Mediterranean from that long ago would be certain debris, such as pottery, and not the ship’s wood parts. To give an idea of what the ship would look like, part of the vessel has been constructed. And on the floor of the tank, visitors will see the ribs of the ship and the amphora pots that once carried wine, olive oil and fish oil (to represent the wreck debris field).
“We will be telling the story of ancient wrecks and what we can learn from them,” Sarah explains. For example, cargo that was poorly loaded and unstable could cause shipwrecks.
Among the interactive elements will be models that allow visitors a chance to try their hand at loading cargo similar to what was used on ancient vessels. The idea is to try to balance the boat to ensure that it doesn’t tip over.
“It’s important for us, as a facility, that people get to reach out and touch things,” Sarah says. It makes the visit a more personal experience.
The tank for this display will showcase some of the representative fish, including different shark species such as a zebra shark and a nurse shark. Visitors can also look for a cow-nosed stingray among the marine life.
“Shipwrecks Alive!” is meant to be a five-year exhibit; therefore the sharks have been carefully chosen so that they won’t outgrow the tank of 10,000 gallons. A 5-foot-long zebra shark is described as the largest animal that will be featured.
“Shipwrecks Alive!” will provide information about preservation of wreck sites and also will look at the environmental impact of shipwrecks.
The $423,000 “Shipwrecks Alive!” exhibit includes a state Legacy Grant of nearly $200,000, as well as $50,000 in matching funds from the city of Duluth’s tourism tax.
The new exhibit took about eight months to complete, with aquarium staff members researching shipwrecks, planning interactive displays and identifying animals for the tanks. The project has drawn upon staff expertise in exhibit design, interpretation and animal care, along with the talent of Twin Ports artists, fabricators, designers, divers, scientists and historians.
“While the project budget seems large, keeping the majority of the design and fabrication work in-house allows us to use our grant funding efficiently. A project of this scope would easily cost three times as much for an exhibit design firm to construct for us,” Sarah says.
Updated on July 3 with photos from the exhibit's opening.