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Great Lakes Shipwreck News & Rumor - Summer 2002
By Brendon Baillod

This summer has been a good one for new discoveries and interesting events in the Great Lakes shipwreck community. Below are some of the discoveries that have been made public.

An unfortunate tragedy in the Straits has led to the discovery of a new shipwreck. A distraught women and her 6 month old baby jumped from the Mackinac bridge in August prompting a search using sidescan sonar. The search revealed an intact schooner in 120 ft. of water just east of the bridge. Her official number, carved into her beam reveals that she is the schooner barge William Young which foundered with 600 tons of coal on October 5, 1891. Her case is unusual in that her loss was not generally known to historians until her find prompted the research.

Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates and the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve continue to survey the deep wreck off Holland, Michigan. The recent discovery of a brass guage marked "Ferrysburg, MI" on the wreck has sparked debate that the wreck may be that of the H.C. Akeley rather than that of the Chicora. We anxiously await word of the wreck's identity.

The shipwreck remains located off Homan Beach near the mouth of the Maitland River by Goderich, Ontario continue to present a mystery. A wooden keel over 160 ft. in length has been located along with metal sheeting on the vessel's sides. The site is strewn with bricks, presenting researchers with a real puzzle. Originally thought to be the sidewheeler Troy, this site is actively under investigation.

Work continues on the survey of the AA Parker remains of Grand Marais by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in conjunction with the State of Michigan. We are looking forward to being able to dive this wreck in the near future.

The remains of the steamer Samoa, located by Randy Beebe of Duluth, MN in Torch Lake on the Keweenaw Waterway, have been filmed, revealing a 200+ ft. wreck, complete with engine and boilers. The wreck is in deep water for an inland wreck and has low visibility. Beebe also recently located remains off of Bad River, near Ashland, consistent with the steamer Ozaukee, which burned there in May of 1884. Further investigation will be needed to substantiate the wreck's identity.

In an interesting development, the remains of the steamer Rosinco, in 180 ft. of water off Kenosha, Wisconsin were returned to the ownership of the State of Wisconsin. They had been awarded to Illinois wreckhunter Paul Ehorn, but were restored to the State of Wisconsin on appeal.

There has been no new word on the schooner remains located last year near Grand Haven, Michigan. The remains, attributed to the schooner Vermont, emerged from the sand during the recent low water levels.

Dave Miesch of Muskegon reports that he has located a 100 ft. long schooner keel in 5 - 15 ft. of water, 2 miles north of Muskegon, 60 ft. from shore. The possibilities are currently being researched and Dave would like help with identification.

Vessel remains spotted from the air off Deer Park on Lake Superior have proven to be those of the steamer Pacific, lost November 1887. The remains, which have recently become uncovered, are reported substantial and are currently being surveyed by Archeologists from the State of Michigan.

Dr. Robert Ballard and the Institute for Exploration are in Alpena this week finishing their survey of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Ballard's team reportedly imaged three "new" shipwrecks last year and they hope to identify the remains this year. We eagerly await any new information in this regard.

The steamer Straits of Mackinac, which had languished in Kewaunee Harbor and was to be sunk off Kewaunee as a dive attraction, will now be sunk off Chicago. Red tape and funding problems threatened to doom the sinking project until groups from Chicago undertook the project. We wish them the best of luck. For more info. visit the Mackinac Project website.

In May divers reported the theft of the wheel from an early and little known wreck SE of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Discovered in May 1994 by commercial fisherman John LeClair, the wreck is very deep and covered in fish net. Divers had speculated that the wreck may be that of the schooner Gallinipper, lost in July 1851, but this historic wreck, now without her wheel, remains unidentified.

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