The Ottawa wreck lies in 12 to 16 feet of water at the northern edge of Red Cliff Bay, north of Bayfield, Wisconsin ( LORAN : 32395.8, 46144.4; GPS : N 46° 52.978', W 90° 45.814'). The Ottawa is number three on our map of the Apostle Islands . 

Approximately 25 yards off shore, it rests parallel to the abandoned steamer H.D. Coffinberry. Underwater visibility at the site varies from 5 to 30 feet, depending on the weather. Water temperature in the summer ranges from 50 to 65°F.

Several hull sections and scattered structural debris rest near shore on a sandy bottom with mixed patches of cobble and a light covering of a reddish silt. Although the steam machinery was salvaged, most of the vessel's hull remains. The largest remaining section is the lower hull, which includes the keel , keelson , and floors. Most of the bilge ceiling is intact, along with the boiler beds, engine beds, and the propeller shaft tube. In the stern , the deadwood , rudder head, and horn timber survive, along with most of the port fantail . Although the sides of the hull were burned, much remains up to 6 feet above the turn of the bilge from the fantail in the stern to the bow . Debris, including brick, steam pipe, and burnt glass and china litter the wreck.

The most prominent feature of the wreck is the Ottawa's entire 158-footlong port side and lower hull, which run from the stem to the sternpost and fantail. It has survived nearly intact and lies parallel to the north shore of Red Cliff Bay in 12 to 16 feet of water. A 58-foot section of the starboard bow that included the stem assembly lies forward and inshore of the major hull section. Both port and starboard bow sections contain cant frames , exterior planking, bilge ceiling, and portions of deadwood used to reinforce the stem. An additional 65-foot section of the starboard side of the vessel lies parallel and adjacent to the major hull section amidships . A 30-foot long section of the starboard quarter lies inshore of the port fantail and stern. Divers can visit the Ottawa's rudder by swimming 75 feet to the west of the bow.

You can learn more about the Ottawa's history and archeological findings in By Fire, Storm, and Ice, edited by David J. Cooper, 1991, Wisconsin Historical Society; Divers Guide to Wisconsin, by Steve Harrington with David J. Cooper, Maritime Press, 1991; and The 'Unholy' Apostles: Tales of Chequamegon Shipwrecks, by James M. Keller, Bayfield: Apostle Island Press, 1984.

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