Prins Willem V

3D Model

The keel of the 258 ft steel diesel packet freighter Prins Willem V was laid in 1939 in Norway at the beginning of WWII. Its build was interrupted by the war, then it was sunk by the Germans using it to block access to the Rotterdam Harbor. Its build was commissioned by Oranje Lines of Holland for the package freight trade between Europe and the Great Lakes. After the war it was salvaged, reconditioned and put into service. In 1954 at the start of a return trip from Milwaukee in strong winds and overcast skies, it collided with the towing cables of the Sinclair Oil Company’s Barge 12 under tow of the tug Chicago three miles off Milwaukee Harbor. The barge was poorly lit and the collision caused the sinking of the Willem in nearly 90 feet of water. The crew was rescued by the USCG Cutter Hollyhock. Today it is one of the most popular dive sites in the Great Lakes. The model was created from 7,143 30-megapixel images shot by Andrew Goodman and Ken Merryman with support from Kendra Kennedy of WHS.