Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes, the [...]
Don't miss this intriguing film about one of the Great Lakes' most mysterious shipwrecks! The 1870s were a time of boom and bust on the Great Lakes, with more than a thousand ships competing for business. On November 27th, 1875, the Cornelia B. Windiate--a canal schooner--is sent on one last, late-season run from Milwaukee to [...]
Historically, the Gales of November have long been known for ushering in long, cold winters throughout northern Michigan. When lake conditions became too hazardous for ships to travel, or when ice began blocking entrances to harbors, thousands of commercial ships became dormant. Usually beginning in early to mid-December, and sometimes lasting until the following May, [...]
Two historic Great Lakes shipwrecks discovered in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary NOAA maritime archaeologists and partners have located and identified two previously undiscovered historic shipwrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The shipwrecks are the wooden steamer Ohio (1873-1894) and the steel-hulled steamer Choctaw (1892-1915). In May 2017, a sanctuary-led expedition used high-resolution [...]
