Sunken Relics of the US Great Lakes

A short excursion into history

For many residents of Europe and the former Soviet Union, the term "Great Lakes" is known, but not always in detail. However, these same Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) played and still play an important role in the economy and history of all of North America.

Shipping is especially developed on the Lakes, which brings huge sums to the US treasury. The lakes are connected by a system of canals and locks, including the famous St. Lawrence Canal. This canal connects the lakes with the Atlantic, which simplifies logistics and the delivery of goods from all over the world. Millions of tons of goods pass along these routes every year, including grain, minerals and much more.

Schematic representation of the Great Lakes. Source: exploringnature.org

Historically, the use of the Great Lakes for trade and travel helped expand the United States' sphere of influence, establish trade relations with Canada, and facilitate the region's industrial growth. In fact, shipping on the Great Lakes is what gave the Midwest and eastern Canada their modern appearance. This is because shipping simplified immigration processes.

However, in the context of this article, we are most interested in the heritage of this region: the lakes region is known for its legends, museum exhibitions, lighthouses and, of course, sunken ships and vessels that have been preserved in excellent condition.

Welcome to Alpina!

Among the great many cities and towns located on the shores of the Great Lakes, there is one unremarkable town called Alpina. It is difficult to call it a yachting mecca - the city, of course, has a yacht club, but you will not see a large influx of yachtsmen here. 

The center of modern Alpina. Source: blogdowntownalpena.com

The town's population is only 10,000. The name of the town comes from the local Chippewa Indian language and means "country of partridges." Like many other nearby towns, Alpina is now at its historical equator between an industrial past and a foggy future that is already being formed here and now.

And if yachtsmen don’t visit Alpine very often, tourists have become welcome guests. It is thanks to tourism that the city lives and prospers. One of the main tourist spots is the headquarters of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary under the auspices of NOAA. The administration of the marine sanctuary is located in a converted paper mill, and the Great Lakes Marine Heritage Center is also located in the same building. This museum is open all year round and is free to visit. It is this place that receives more than 100,000 visitors per year.

Modern museum complex. Source: thunderbay.noaa.gov

Alpina was one of the fastest growing cities in the United States in the 19th century. This situation arose due to the development of the timber industry. Brady Collen, first mate on a tourist boat Lady Michigan says: "They say that in those days the timber was mined so actively that the whole lake was covered with tree trunks, which were floated downstream. So you could walk from one bank to the other without even getting your feet wet." Brady's words, although a clear exaggeration, are not far from the truth. In those years, there were 17 sawmills on the banks near Alpina, which worked daily. 

The cause of shipwrecks

What do sunken ships and vessels have to do with it? The thing is that the Great Lakes are now actively used for shipping, and even more so during the times of rapid industrial growth. In 1870, there were about 3,000 schooners alone working on the Great Lakes. However, to get to towns like Alpina, skippers and captains had to work hard - the journey is not short, and the weather conditions are not much different in severity from the sea. Fogs, strong pitching, high waves and cold northern winds can still be encountered today during a trip on the Great Lakes.

Lumberjacks, logs and working oxen in Alpina. Source: blogdowntownalpena.com. Photo courtesy of Fletcher Collection, Alpena Public Library.

The route to Alpina runs through Lake Huron and Thunder Bay, which are famous for their fog. Matt, the captain of the aforementioned Lady Michigan, says: "These places are dangerous. Dozens of ships and vessels from different eras rest at the bottom of rivers and lakes, and almost all of them sank because of the thick fog. And I understand its danger - in the morning the sun may shine, and the wind may caress your face, but by evening a milky white fog descends, which simply envelops you."

Shipwreck Alley

Not far from Alpina is a place called Shipwreck Alley or Ship Graveyard. About 200 ships of different eras and sizes are resting on this relatively long section of the seabed. Most of the shipwrecks in this area occurred in late autumn, when the November cold and bone-chilling wind foretell the beginning of winter. The Alley itself is located in Thunder Bay, on its northern edge, right on a small shoal nicknamed the "ship trap".

The surviving hull of the bulk carrier Grecian. Source: thunderbay.noaa.gov

Many of the sunken ships have been perfectly preserved to this day. It's all about the temperature conditions - the local waters are so cold almost all year round that organisms harmful to wood simply cannot survive. Due to the fact that ships in the bay have been actively sinking for several centuries, we can see an amazing picture of well-preserved ships from different eras.

In 1981, the state of Michigan created the Thunder Bay Underwater Sanctuary, which covers an area of about 750 square kilometers. Today, the sanctuary is under the patronage of NOAA and has an official area of over 11,000 km2. There are 100 officially identified vessels in the sanctuary, and more than 50 of them have special buoys by which they can be found. 

A schematic map of shipwreck density. Each black dot is a shipwreck. Source: michiganpreserves.org

The main charm of the Thunder Bay Nature Reserve is that you can visit the buoyed ships on your own, including scuba diving. However, this entertainment is not for everyone - the lake waters are very cold and serious training is needed to descend to the depths.

Hidden in the Dark and in the Light

As mentioned above, there are about 200 ships at the bottom of Thunder Bay, but only 100 of them have been identified. Why then are scientists sure that there are more than a hundred ships? Researchers have papers that confirm the sinking of this or that ship in the specified area, but the exact location has yet to be determined. And with enviable regularity, the discovery of another ship or merchant vessel occurs.

The remains of barge number 12. Source: thunderbay.noaa.gov

One of the easiest and most interesting ways to explore the remains of sunken ships is to purchase tickets on board a pleasure boat of the type Lady Michigan. The friendly team will not only tell you, but also show you all the most interesting and accessible places in the region. In addition, many of the wrecks are literally at a depth of about 1-2 meters. Some remains can be found simply by putting on a pair of fishing boots and walking along the coast.

Buried under a layer of mud, the Albany has a deck and remains of the hull visible on the bottom. Source: thunderbay.noaa.gov

However, it is not only sailboats that rest at the bottom of the Great Lakes. One of the most notorious shipwrecks of the last century was the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. Sometimes scientists come across a sad picture: an old merchant sloop or barque can be next to a metal warship or dry cargo ship. The last shipwreck in Thunder Bay itself occurred in 1966. 

The capsized hull of the bulk carrier Norman. Source: thunderbay.noaa.gov

It is not possible to count all the ships in one introductory article. But here are some interesting examples (the date of the wreck is given in brackets):

• Le Griffon (1679) – the first European ship to sink on the Great Lakes. To this day, it has still not been found.
• Defiance (1854) – a two-masted schooner rests in an almost perfectly vertical position at a depth of 50 meters.

Defiance on the bottom. Source: thunderbay.noaa.gov

• Northwestern (1850) – a brig that sank not by the whim of nature, but by human error. The brig rests at a depth of 40 meters and is well preserved.
• Monohansett (1907) – a wooden steamship rests at a depth of just over 9 meters, in clear weather you can see it from the side of your yacht. Notable for its well-preserved hull, boiler, shaft and propeller.

The Monohansett hull on the bottom. Source: thunderbay.noaa.gov

• Albany (1853) – one of the most popular ships, a paddle steamer. It rests at a depth of about 1.5 meters, easily accessible for study.

Other ships can be found on the official Thunderbay.noaa.gov website in the Shipwrecks section.

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21.11.2024