Explorer Says Griffin Shipwreck May Be Found

TRAVERSE CITY (AP) — An explorer who has spent decades seeking a 17th century shipwreck in Lake Michigan says his team has located a debris field that may be the long-lost Griffin.

Steve Libert tells The Associated Press his exploration group found the apparent wreckage this month.

He says it includes wooden planks and implements such as nails and pegs that would have fastened the hull to the rest of the vessel.

Libert says they saw no "smoking gun" such as artifacts with markings identifying them as from the Griffin. But he says he believes his search is over.

He says his team and French experts will seek permits to excavate in the area in September.

The French explorer La Salle ordered the Griffin built. It disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679.

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