For many centuries wood was the preferred material for ships, both salt and freshwater. Masts, cabins, decks and hulls were all made from it. It was strong, resilient, easy to work with and inexpensive. Properly used and maintained, a wooden ship could last for many years.

But it was no guarantee of safety as Wood On The Bottom proves beyond a doubt.

Stress of storm, collision, poor navigation, bad luck and human folly all played a part in sending thousands of wooden ships to the bottom of the Great Lakes, where they are quietly rotting away into the ages.

Wood On The Bottom tells the dramatic tales of a dozen wooden shipwrecks. Some like the Alvin Clark, Lady Elgin and Rouse Simmons (the infamous Christmas Tree Ship) are well known, but others, including the Persian, Oriole and Bon Voyage are cloaked by history.