A ship graveyard lies beneath Lake Erie’s surface. It is believed to contain as many as 2,500 vessels. The oldest wreck dates back to the 1800s, when it was part the water route between the Atlantic Ocean and the upper Midwest.
Kevin Magee is an engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. He stated that waves and storms are the main reason ships sink in Lake Erie.
‘In fact, we think Lake Erie has a greater density of shipwrecks than virtually anywhere else in the world—even the Bermuda triangle.
The Lake Serpent, a 47 foot schooner that was lost to the sea in 1829, is the oldest shipwreck found below Lake Erie. The Sir CT Van Straubenzie is the lake’s deepest wreck.
The exact number of wrecks in Lake Erie is not known – it could be anywhere from 500 to 2,500 – but explorers and researchers have been able to confirm 277 sunken ships.
The Lake Serpent, a 47 foot schooner lost in 1829, is the oldest shipwreck found below Lake Erie. Satellite image of the sunken ship is shown in the picture.
Lake Erie is fourth-largest of the five Great Lakes. It stretches across the US and Canadian borders and reaches into the Ontario Peninsula, Michigan and Ohio.
The enormous lake was an important route during fur trade between the 1700s and 1800s. Many ships also disappeared below its depths.
Lake Serpent, the oldest wreck, left Cleveland in September 1829 for the 55-mile trip to the Lake Erie Islands – but it never made it back to its return destination, Smithsonian Magazine reports.
The crew’s bodies, Captain Ezera and Robert Wright, were washed ashore. However, the ship was lost until 2018.
The exact number of wrecks in Lake Erie is not known – it could be anywhere from 500 to 2,500 – but explorers and researchers have been able to confirm 277 sunken ships. Red is an approximate location of wrecks, while black is a confirmed location.
Lake Serpent, the oldest wreck, left Cleveland in September 1829 for the 55-mile trip to the Lake Erie Islands – but it never made it back to its return destination
In 2018, archaeologists found the remains of a vessel in the area. They are certain it is the Lake Serpent (pictured).
The area was searched by archaeologists who found the remains of a vessel but weren’t sure if it was the famous Lake Serpent.
The team discovered that the ship was carrying large amounts of boulders before it vanished. Divers identified the payload.
The Edmund Fitzgerald’s last voyage started on November 9, 1975 at Superior, Wisconsin’s Burlington Northern Railroad Dock No.1.
Lake Leen Erz reports that several ghostly hulls are found near Traverse City, Michigan.
The wrecks are located in Manitou Passage. It was once a port for cargo-laden ships that passed through the area during the bustling lumbering industries of the 19th Century.
Anyone can spot the sunken ships if the water is clear. This includes James McBride, a 121 foot-long brig that was lost during a storm in 1857
The shoreline can also be seen where the Rising Sun rests. This steamer is 133 feet long and sank in 1917.
If the water is clear, anyone can spot sunken ships. This includes the James McBride, which is a 121-foot-long brig that was lost during a storm in 1857.
The shoreline can also be used to view the resting places of the Rising Sun.
This is a steamer measuring 133ft in length, which sank in 1917.
There are hundreds of small hulls littering the lake bottom, but one ship is known for sinking farther than another other vessel – the Sir CT Van Straubenzie.
Lake Erie is fourth-largest Great Lake and spans the US and Canadian borders. It reaches into the Ontario Peninsula, Michigan and Ohio as well as Pennsylvania and New York.
This ship was destroyed in a collision with a steamer September 27, 1909, and quickly sank into Lake Erie 205 feet east of Long Point.
This ship was destroyed in a collision with a steamer September 27, 1909, and quickly sank into Lake Erie 205 feet east of Long Point.
The Department of Transport reported 3 deaths including a female cook.
The wire-rigged forward mast can still be seen, and collision damage can also be seen on the starboard side. The cabin has been collapsed. There is a wheel, and the cast iron bell is in the bow of the wreck – all of which have been taken over by barnacles.
Magee stated that “one of the most remarkable things about Lake Erie or Great Lakes shipwrecks was how well they are preserved by the cold, freshwater.” The corrosive effects of saltwater on wrecks are immediate. You can find hundreds of years-old wooden ships in the Great Lakes that look like they have just sank.