Waukegan Area Wrecks III

6/30/2008 by Capt. Darrick Lorenzen | 3 Comments | 317 Views

The wreck of the Zion Schooners lies just off the Zion Nuclear Power Plant. They are sailing ships dating from the late 1800’s that were probably scuttled in about 20-feet of water. The wreck site is about 100-feet long. The names of the Schooners are unknown. It is unknown where these ships were built (there may be the potential for some investigative research and identification). It is also unknown if any lives were lost. These wrecks are broken up and lying on top of one another. There is a large piece of machinery in one of them. It has been identified as a donkey engine. There are also many pieces of construction debris, probably from the power plant, strewn around. Level of dive experience and training recommended: Open Water

On 7/28/2008 captdarrick said:

Contact Captain Dale Bennet at 847-640-8113. Capt. Dale is on the advisory board of this magazine, is an expert on Midwest shipwrecks and runs a charter service out of Waukegan Illinois.

On 7/4/2008 Captain Dale said:

Care needs to be taken when diving these wrecks. They are located just barely outside of the security zone around the Zion nuclear power plant. The federal guards have no sense of humor. Divers have been met at the water's edge with M16's when they strayed into the secure area.

On 7/3/2008 Joe C said:

Where can I learn more?