19th Century Shipwreck Found in Lake Michigan with Clues Given by Newspaper Clippings

A ship that sank nearly 140 years ago was recently discovered “remarkably intact” in Lake Michigan.

On Saturday, the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) announced the discovery of an existing wreck of a steamship named Milwaukee in a post on Facebook. The ship collided with another ship in 1886 and sank 360 feet below the surface of the water, about 40 miles off the coast of Holland, Michigan, according to the group.

Since there were no photographs, historical newspaper clippings of the wreck helped pinpoint the ship’s location, explained underwater explorer and historian Valerie van Heest, who created the search grid.

The 135-foot vessel was first discovered by side-scanning remotely operated vehicle (ROV) sonar in June 2023. Then, during the MSRA’s annual film festival last week, the association announced its discovery live to an audience of over 300 attendees.

“News about the accident, as well as the study of water currents, led us to Milwaukee after only two days of searching,” said Neel Zoss, who spotted the ship on sonar.

“Visibility was excellent,” added ROV pilot Jack van Heest. “We saw the foremast still standing as the ROV descended towards the bottom.”

Muskegon, Michigan port in the 1880s.

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association/Facebook

The Milwaukee was first commissioned in 1868 and originally had three decks, one of which was for passengers, while the remaining two were for cargo. However, in 1873, after the Wall Street Panic, Milwaukee was one of many Great Lake ships used for cargo, including lumber.

A decade later, Lyman Gates Mason bought the ship and converted it to transport lumber for his company. “[He] he made both the wheelhouse and aft cabin smaller to increase the amount of wood the boat can carry on each voyage,” said former Holland City Councilman Craig Rich.

On July 9, 1886 Milwaukee he was on his way to transport Mason’s lumber—that is, until he collided with Hickox, according to MLive. “But the old superstition that bad things happen in threes would haunt the captains of both ships that night,” MSRA wrote.

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Lyman Gates Mason.

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association/Facebook

Due to forest fires nearby in Wisconsin, smoke saturated the air and caused the final collision, which sent Captain Milwaukee Armstrong and Captain Hickox O’Day on a perilous course.

“Dennis Harrington, lookout on Milwaukee, he first spotted the lights from another vessel. He informed ( Milwaukee‘s) Captain Armstrong immediately. Captain O’Day of Hickox saw the same thing,” the MSRA statement reads. The two captains had to slow down, turn right and blow steam whistles as a precaution, according to navigational rules.

Despite requests, neither captain slowed the ships “as visibility was generally good,” but a few minutes later, “a thick fog rolled in, blinding both.”

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Ship Milwaukee.

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association/Facebook

The Hickox The captain then turned and tried to pull his steam whistle, but the chain snapped. Soon, Hickox collided with the side Milwaukee. Captain O’Day then went below deck and noticed water pouring into the ship. He then played a distress signal to alert Captain Armstrong and “order the pumps on”.

Ago Milwaukee sank, all members of the ship’s crew boarded safely Hickox. Two hours after the first crash, Milwaukee sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

There were no fatalities in this shipwreck, but both captains’ licenses were temporarily revoked.

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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education