WHITEFISH POINT, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) recently discovered three 1800’s-era shipwrecks in the vicinity of Grand Marais, Michigan (Lake Superior).
A number of additional shipwrecks have also been located and await positive identification, according to officials.
Using a combination of historical research, technology and teamwork, members of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society’s Underwater Research team have mapped areas where ships were reported lost, then searched those areas using the organization’s 50’ research vessel, David Boyd.
Officials say Marine Sonic Technology was employed to analyze the lake bottom and identify submerged wrecks.
The new shipwreck discoveries and their stories are listed below, all provided to WKZO by GLSHS:
Shipwreck 1: The schooner, “Dot”
August 25, 1883 – The steamship M.M. Drake was towing the schooner Dot down from Marquette with a load of iron ore when the Dot started taking on water.
The Captain Jones of the Dot hailed the M.M. Drake, which came alongside his sinking ship and took his crew off before it dove for the bottom. In this case, all crew members were rescued.
The Dot, formerly the Canadian schooner Mary Merritt, was built in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1865. Her remains rest in over 350’ of water.
Dot wreckage in Lake Superior – Photo courtesy GLSHS.
Shipwreck 2: The schooner-barge, “Frank W. Wheeler”
September 29, 1885 – The relatively new schooner-barge, Frank W. Wheeler, was being towed by the steamer Kittie M. Forbes when a gale swept across the lake.
The ships struggled in the worsening conditions for hours before the Wheeler’s crew realized that their ship was sinking.
Captain William Forbes, owner and captain of the Frank W. Wheeler, signaled his predicament to the Kittie M. Forbes, and the pair of vessels then tried to reach the safety of Grand Island, near present day Munising, MI.
Captain Forbes soon ordered his men into the lifeboat, and 15 minutes later his ship sank, bow first. A number of explosions were heard as the ship slipped beneath the waves.
The Frank W. Wheeler was built in West Bay City, MI (West Bay City Shipbuilding Co.), and today her wreckage lies in over 600’ of water.
Frank Wheeler shipwreck image. (Provided by GLSHS).
Shipwreck 3 – The Schooner Barge, “Michigan”
October 2, 1901 – The steamer M.M. Drake (same vessel which towed the Dot, as noted above) was towing the schooner-barge Michigan in the vicinity of Vermilion Point, 12 miles west of Whitefish Point.
Both vessels were struggling in rough weather when the Michigan’s hold begins filling with water.
Captain J.W. Nicholson maneuvered the M.M. Drake alongside the Michigan, with the latter ship’s crew jumping from their sinking ship onto the Drake. Within minutes, a massive wave smashed the two vessels together, destroying the M.M. Drake’s smokestack and leaving the ship without steam-pressure.
Without power, the Drake soon lost headway and waves swept over her decks. Both ship’s crews were now in danger, but two large steel steamers, the Crescent City and Northern Wave, were close by and maneuvered-in to rescue the combined crews.
Harry Brown, the Michigan’s cook, was the only casualty in this unusual double sinking. The remains of the M.M. Drake were discovered in 1978 by the Shipwreck Society, and her rudder is on exhibit at Whitefish Point.
The Michigan’s hull is in 650’ of water.
The Schooner Barge, “Michigan.” (Photo provided by GLSHS).
Commentary –
GLSHS Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel says much of the success is because he can search wider and faster this year.
“We have well over 2500 miles of searching this year alone,” Ertel said. “We’re searching 100 miles a day. We’re travelling at over 9 miles an hour as we’re searching, and we’re seeing great detail on the bottom. It’s amazing.”
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Executive Director Bruce Lynn also issued a statement.
“This has been a great year for us at the Shipwreck Museum, and we have never located so many new wrecks in one season,” Lynn said. “Each shipwreck has its own story. These are fantastic, true stories that we can tell in the museum someday.”
To learn more about these and other wrecks, readers can go to www.shipwreckmuseum.com.
