Shipwreck from 1869 discovered in Lake Superior
(CBS DETROIT) - The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the discovery of the Barquentine Nucleus, a 144-foot ship that sank in Lake Superior in 1869.
It was found 600 feet underwater, about 40 miles northwest of Vermilion point on Lake Superior.
According to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, the ship had already sunk twice before it sank the side-wheeler S.S. Detroit in Lake Huron in 1854.
The Nucleus was carrying a load of iron ore when it sank on Sept. 14, 1869. It was caught in a storm and began to take on water, and when the leak got worse, the crew took their lifeboat.
"If Nucleus had its share of bad luck, so too did its crew once they cast off from the sinking ship," said officials with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. "After a few hours in their yawl, the Nucleus crew spotted, and hailed the S.S. Union. The officers reportedly spotted the Nucleus crew struggling in the storm... but chose to keep on steaming, leaving them behind. Fortunately, they were soon picked up by the schooner Worthington, with no loss of life."
The ship sank more than 150 years ago, making it one of the oldest to sink along Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast.
"This is a pretty significant shipwreck…considering its age, the fact that it is a barquentine, and we can't overlook the vessel's checkered past," said Shipwreck Society Executive Director, Bruce Lynn. "The wreck site is littered with shovels too…and a few dinner plates, which speaks to their work and shipboard life."
In addition, historical society officials were surprised by the ship's condition.
"The stern was intact," said Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society Director of Marine Operations, Darryl Ertel Jr. "It had a straight back stern, and then the port side also was intact. And so, I was more excited about it because at first, I thought it was totally in pieces on the bottom."
Officials say Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar was used to make this discovery. The sonar was used during the summer of 2021, and the shipwreck was identified in 2022 with a remotely operated vehicle.