Is this an old shipwreck?

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Guest

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Guest »

Contact Wayne Lusardi at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena. Just go to the website and all of the contact info is there. Shipwrecks is what they do.
Al

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Al »

You should consult "Shipwrecks of Isle Royale National Park: The Archeological Survey" by Daniel J. Lenihan. It was published in 1994 by Lake Superior Port Cities Inc. of Duluth. The company publishes Lake Superior Magazine and may still sell copies of this book. If not, your local public library could get a copy through inter-library loan.

The provide summarizes the archeological work done in the 1980s by the National Park Service. It includes histories, locations, drawings, etc. of all the major wrecks. It also would tell you what parts of wrecks might yet be undiscovered.

This could conceivably be a previously undiscovered shipwreck, perhaps a schooner. There also is quite a bit of other material around the island. It was inhabited for years by fishermen and resort owners. I spent some time with the NPS dive team as they explored Tobin Harbor and they came across all manner of items: a ship's hatch cover, a sunken fishing boat, and many, many small items from resort trash dumps (generally located at the end of their docks.)
Jared
Posts: 798
Joined: December 6, 2014, 4:51 pm

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Jared »

It could be the bow of the Cumberland.
Tom

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Tom »

Okay, that's some good stuff to look for. Yeah, any other hints would be great. This "thing" looks like it's been destroyed pretty heavily over the many years, so it will likely be very hard to identify items on board. I was thinking more details of the construction that might help identify the type of ship and such. I have read on one website that there were only a handful of french fur trading ships sailing on superior before the British arrived. And that the British saw wrecks that were abandoned.

Does anyone know anyone who is knowledgable in the subject area of wooden ships on Superior? The folks at Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum referred me to this board. I tried to contact David Swayze, but the email I dug up for him (@cmich.edu) bounced back to me.

As for giving exact location, I am going to refrain for now. I would like to chase this down as far as my reasonable abilities will allow, and then hand it over to someone with more interest and abilities. I likely won't get too far with it, due to its extreme destruction, but my only goal here is to enjoy the process :-)
Guest

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Guest »

Just be careful - if it is an undiscovered wreck and you give the location, there are wreck hunters who monitor these boards who would love nothing more than to grab credit for discovering it.
Jared
Posts: 798
Joined: December 6, 2014, 4:51 pm

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Jared »

I think it would be worth your while to go back there and measure it. Look for thinks such as block and tackle, rigging, China, nautical things. Due to the depth I assume this was salvaged or stripped when she wrecked. Ken Merryman hunts for wrecks in the area so he may know about this. Are you willing to give the location?
bvboatnerd

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by bvboatnerd »

There is a guy who runs a over night dive trip charters in the Isle Royale area. I took is back in 2013. Some of the shipwreckS we dove were Cumberland, Henry Chisholm, America, Chester A. Congdon, Monarch, Emperor stern and bow, Algoma, Glenlyon and Henry Chisholm engine. You could give the GPS numbers on your shipwreck and he could investigate it for you. The gentleman name is Captain Ryan Staley. Phone number is 855-348-3472 or cell number 269-217-3618. OR You could contact the National Park at Isle Royale, they have divers
Tom

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Tom »

The length is 90 feet as it sits. Now, is there more that is not seen? I don't know. I am viewing this from an airplane. It is located within the Isle Royale National Park, and the Park rangers that have been there 18 years don't know anything about what it is, or that it existed. What are some other plausible ideas for what it might be?

Do you guys think this is worth exploring more? It would be quite difficult to make the time to get out there, but I could potentially hike out with my mask and snorkel and maybe gather some more information on the structure. I would of course, need your expert knowledge on what to look for, to identify things. I could likely take a go pro and take pictures of specific things that you all could identify to see what we are dealing with.

Thoughts?
Jared
Posts: 798
Joined: December 6, 2014, 4:51 pm

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Jared »

It looks like one to me. The curves and planking appears to be that of a vessel. How large is it?
Chris M
Posts: 704
Joined: July 28, 2009, 10:30 pm

Re: Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Chris M »

Need a little more information like, where was this taken? Was it from a plane, boat, etc
Tom

Is this an old shipwreck?

Unread post by Tom »

Trying to find out some info on this to see if it is worth looking into.
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