Intact 1899 Shipwreck Found At The Bottom Of Lake Michigan
There is just something mysterious when a shipwreck is located at the bottom of an ocean or lake. Many undiscovered wreckages still lie on the water’s bottom, yet to be found. However, there is one ship that was recently discovered in Lake Michigan where it sank 116 years ago. An 1899 shipwreck found this month marks another piece of history that has been recovered.
According to The Detroit Free Press, it is an exciting find for the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association and the group of explorers who found the John V. Moran vessel lying in the vast lake right off the coast of Muskegon. The amazing part is that it was still in pristine condition. The members of the Shipwreck Association also stated that this is one of the deepest wrecks that has ever been discovered in Lake Michigan. It was 365 feet underwater.
“The John V. Moran has been on our hit list for quite a while. We’ve quietly been researching it, and decided this year we’d go out after it.”
The crew started their search in June and on the fifth of the month on their last day out there, the discovery was made. They decided to use their side-scan sonar during the night and that seemed to pick up the wreckage.
Side-scan sonar was designed to use signals to locate objects on the sea floor and is a wonderful tool to help in finding an undiscovered shipwreck such as this one.
Once the shipwreck was found, they needed to get divers down to the bottom of Lake Michigan to make sure it was the John V. Moran for sure. This is when they enlisted the help of the Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit to be able to go down that deep right away. On July 8, they took their remotely operated submersible down to greet the steamship that they were looking for.
ICYMI: Deep in Lake Michigan, divers find pristine shipwreck lost in 1899 http://t.co/OUaWQ5OV3v pic.twitter.com/awguxpx6dv
— MLive (@MLive) July 23, 2015
According to the detailed story of this discovery that MLive posted, the ship was upright and looking pretty much the way it was when it sailed the high waters above in 1899. Co-director of the Michigan Shipwreck Association, Craig Rich, described the intact shipwreck as he saw it.
“Not a railing is missing. The mast is standing. The lights are standing. The anchors are in position. There’s even glass still in the windows.”
The John V. Moran took to the waters in 1899 carrying an assortment of goods, including flour and animal feed. Capt. John McLeod was in charge as they floated across the lake covered with ice in the cold month of February. A chunk of ice was responsible for the sinking of this ship but thankfully, no one died that day. The captain and his crew were all rescued by sister steamer Naomi. The ship stayed afloat for a couple of days, but then water overtook it and it sank to the bottom of the lake and has stayed there for 116 years.
This 1899 shipwreck that was found is just one more mystery solved. There are still many more to be discovered. The Inquisitr reported on a couple of other mysterious shipwrecks. People seem to be drawn to these uncharted territories.
[Photo by MLive/YouTube]
