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Great Lakes Shipwreck News & Rumo - Spring 2002
By Brendon Baillod

As usual, the winter months have produced few new discoveries or happenings around the Lakes.

Lake Erie Shipwreck Preserve - Plans are underway for Ohio's first underwater shipwreck preserve. Several state and local agencies, including the Ohio Historical Society and the Kelleys Island Village Council, are drafting plans for a preserve that could cover as much as 40 square miles of water surrounding the Lake Erie island.

The Chicora Preservation Society is set to continue survey work on the recently discovered steamer Chicora. Lying in deep water, this "holy grail" of Lake Michigan was discovered in the Summer of 2001 in deep water off Holland, Michigan.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society is slated to continue its survey work with the State of Michigan on the wreck of the AA Parker, located this past Summer off Grand Marais, Michigan. Low water levels have unearthed the bones of another old schooner on the Great Lakes.

Researchers at Grand Haven, Michigan report that the bow of a very old wooden schooner has peeked through the sand on a nearby beach. Researchers are attributing the remains to the schooner Vermont, which was lost December 10, 1855 bound from Chicago to Grand Haven. The site is currently being investigated to try to identify the remains, but it is unlikely that the remains will be removed.

On February 4, 2002, the Great Lakes lost one of its veteran wreckhunters and divers. Dick Race, a long time Great Lakes diving enthusiast and maritime historian passed away. Dick located many shipwrecks on Lakes Michigan and Huron in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Great Lakes wreckhunting community was abuzz this past November when it was announced that Illinois wreckhunter Paul Ehorn had been awarded ownership of the steam yacht Rosinco. The Rosinco lies in 180 ft. of water off Kenosha, Wisconsin and was recently nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. The controversy began when the State of Wisconsin attempted to prosecute Ehorn for removing a porthole from the wreck, which Ehorn claimed ownership of. The State of Wisconsin says that it will appeal the ruling.

Great Lakes wreckhunter David Trotter announced this summer that Underwater Research Associates had located the remains of the schooner Arcturus. Built in 1853, the Arcturus was a particularly long-lived and historic vessel. Lost on August 20, 1888, she was located in amazing condition in deep water in Lake Huron. She will be the subject of Trotter's upcoming presentation at the Ghost Ships Festival.

If you have info. for Great Lakes Shipwreck News & Rumor, please email Brendon Baillod.