Crystal clear waters have revealed a number of haunting hulls belonging to ships that succumbed to the perils of Lake Michigan over the centuries . The unusual transparency has been caused by surface ice melting , unveiling the boat graveyard at the bottom of the Great Lake , before organisms like plankton conceal them once more . The soul-stirring images were snapped during a routine helicopter patrol by the U.S. Coast Guard , who had a perfect view of normally obscured wreckage in an area where many ships foundered in the 19th and early 20th centuries . Scroll down for video . Revealed : The 121-foot brig of the James McBride , which ran aground during a storm on October 19 , 1857 , has been revealed following ice-melt in Lake Michigan . Rising Sun : The 133 foot long wooden steamer stranded just north of Pyramid Point on October 29 , 1917 , and can be seen on the bottom of the Great Lake . Glory days : The Rising Sun was owned by a religious group called the House of David when it crashed in October 1917 . Members of the group were returning from High Island , where they spend the summer , when it crashed in a sudden snowstorm . Graveyard : The above map shows the Manitou Passage of Lake Michigan , which is home to dozens of shipwrecks due to the unpredictable weather on the lake . The wrecks of the James McBride and Rising Sun were exposed this month after ice melted on the lake . Unpredictable weather makes Lake Michigan home to some of the most dangerous waters in the world with sudden storms , fire , and fog causing the destruction of these many thousands of vessels over the years . The pictures are taken of the shallow waters of the lake off the Leelanau Peninsula near Leland , known as the Manitou Passage , between the mainland of the northwestern Lower Peninsula and North and South Manitou Islands . This area alone is home to dozens of shipwrecks , most which were grounded shipping lumber at the turn of the 20th century . The Coast Guard wasn ’ t immediately able to identify the wrecks , but with help from fans on Facebook , they learned that two of them are the James McBride and the Rising Sun . The 121-foot brig James McBride ran aground during a storm on October 19 , 1857 . Her remains now lie in 15 feet of water near Sleeping Bear Point . The James McBride is believed to be the first ship to haul cargo from the West Indies all the way back to Chicago , when it completed a trip to Turk Island for salt in 1848 , stopping at Nova Scotia on the way back for cod . Eerie : This unknown wreck was captured by the US Coast Guard from a helicopter during a routine patrol over the Great Lake . Rare sightings : Two wrecks can just be seen ( top left and bottom right of picture ) through the clear waters of Lake Michigan . Stunning scenery : A house can be seen on the edge of the lake which endures unpredictable weather and is home to some of the most dangerous waters in the world . It launched on April fool ’ s day in 1848 and sank nine years later after carrying a cargo of wood from the Manitou Islands . The Rising Sun was a 133-foot-long wooden steamer which stranded just north of Pyramid Point on October 29 , 1917 , because of an early snow storm . Lifeboats were scrambled and all 32 people on board were saved but she went to pieces . Her wreckage now rests in about 12 feet of water . The Rising Sun was actually first named the Minnie M , but it was renamed the Rising Sun when it was purchased by a religious group called the House of David in 1913 . The commune was founded by Benjamin and Mary Purnell in Benton Harbor , Michigan in 1903 . Benjamin claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus , and his group of about 900 followers called him King Ben . During the summer , the group lived on High Island - located about thirty miles northwest of Charlevoix , Michigan . In October 1917 , Captain Charles Morrison was taking passengers and crew members from the group back to Benton Harbor where they would spend the winter when a sudden snowstorm hit . The captain tried to make Charlevoix , but the ship pushed west into the Manitou Passage where it crashed into a set of submerged boulders . Everyone on board survived the crash , escaping on two sets of lifeboats . Protected : The wrecks of the stricken vessels are protected by law to stop divers trying to salvage anything from the sunken history . The U.S Park Service , which manages the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore , announced last month that the wreckage of the Jennie & Annie was now visible again on the beach halfway between North and South Bar lakes . The schooner grounded off Empire in 1872 and is visible every few years . Beach erosion , waves , wind and variable water levels in the lake cause the wrecks to periodically become visible along the dunes shoreline . Since the shipwrecks are considered public property , they are not allowed to be disturbed . However , divers are allowed to explore the wrecks in warmer weather . Doomed voyage : The James McBride , which ran aground during a storm on October 19 , 1857 , while carrying a cargo of wood .
Ice melt has revealed the wrecks of vessels including the Charlevoix ( 1857 ) and the Rising Sun ( 1917 ) Beach erosion , waves , wind and variable water levels are said to be behind wrecks exposure . Eerie images were taken from a helicopter by the Coast Guard from Traverse City during routine patrol .