A historic all-steel ship that broke records as it cruised the Great Lakes but came to a tragic end has been found more than 100 years after it sank, researchers announced this week.
The ship named Western Reserve sank approximately 132 years ago during a summertime excursion for the wealthy entrepreneur Peter G. Minch’s family. Intended to provide relief from the scorching temperatures, this journey turned tragic near what is today referred to as Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast, claiming 27 lives with just a single individual managing to survive.
The location of this site lies 600 feet beneath the waters near Michigan’s Upper Peninsula remained hidden from researchers until recently. Last summer, a team from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society uncovered the wreckage. The discovery was unveiled during the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeological Association’s yearly Ghost Ships conference held on Monday in Manitowoc.
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Each shipwreck carries its own tale, yet certain ones stand out as particularly sorrowful,” remarked Bruce Lynn, the society’s executive director. “It’s difficult to fathom that Peter Minch anticipated no issues when he brought along his spouse, two small kids, and his sister-in-law with her child onboard the Western Reserve for a summertime voyage across the lakes. This only underscores the perilous nature of the Great Lakes throughout every season.
The Western Reserve was quite famous during its era.
The vessel, measuring 318 feet long, stood out as one of the initial ships on the Great Lakes constructed completely from steel. Renowned for its swiftness — often dubbed “the inland greyhound” — it also gained recognition for exceptional safety standards on the lake waters. According to Lynn, it set a record by transporting the biggest cargo of coal ever received in Milwaukee up until then. The ship was christened by Minch after an extensive region covering three million acres situated in northeast Ohio near Lake Erie.
In 1892, it gained yet another reputation as it was sinking.
Solo Survivor Shares Gripping Story
The sequence of events that transpired following the sinking of the Western Reserve became known solely due to a single survivor, wheelsman Harry W. Stewart.
The cargo vessel embarked from Cleveland heading towards Two Harbors, Minnesota, during its last journey in August 1892. Among those aboard were Minch’s spouse, Anna; their kids, Charlie who was 9 years old, and Florence at 6; along with Anna’s sibling, Mary Englebry; and Mary’s daughter, Bertha aged 10. Additionally, the second captain, Albert Myers, brought his 19-year-old son onto the ship.
The vessel experienced calm seas until August 30th, upon reaching Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior. At this point, the winds intensified and the weather changed.
Initially, Minch planned to bide their time until the storm passed. However, since the vessel was carrying merely ballast water with no actual freight, they decided to venture into deeper waters. They set sail towards an area notorious for its hazards, which has consequently earned the ominous title of Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast.
According to Lynn, around 200 or possibly even more vessels have wrecked in Whitefish Bay.
A strong windstorm hit the vessel approximately 60 miles north of Whitefish Point, causing it to start disintegrating around 9 p.m. The ship plunged beneath the waves within roughly 10 minutes.
The majority of the team climbed aboard the vessel’s metallic life raft, whereas the family took their seats in the wooden one. Shortly after they launched, the metal craft flipped over nearly instantly. In the end, only two crewmen—Stewart being one of them—managed to transfer to the wooden boat.
They floated for approximately 10 hours. A steamer went by, yet the darkness and rain prevented the survivors from being spotted. The lifeboat eventually overturned just one mile away from the southeastern coast of Lake Superior. Only Stewart managed to reach the shore.
“Without Harry Stewart, our understanding of the Western Reserve would be much more limited today,” Lynn stated.
Discovering the shipwreck
Following a two-year investigation conducted by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, the finding of the Western Reserve was made. According to Lynn, researchers initially detected the debris utilizing sonar equipment onboard their research boat, the David Boyd, on July 22. The siblings Darryl Ertel, who served as director of marine operations, and Dan Ertel, serving as the first mate, were the initial individuals to observe the sunken ship.
A remote-operated device verified that the wreckage belonged to the Western Reserve. The shipwreck was located approximately 600 feet deep and split into two pieces roughly 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior.
“I felt a chill when I heard about the 300-foot Western Reserve being hit by a storm so far out at sea,” stated Darryl Ertel. “Squalls can appear without warning… anywhere, and at any time.”
Lynn mentioned that the ship’s bell is undamaged, and numerous details such as the paint can still be seen.
The most evident proof that the wreckage belonged to the Western Reserve was a light that corresponded with the sole object retrieved from the vessel—a light itself—that currently resides at the National Museum of Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio.
At the time, newspaper accounts criticized the vessel for its fragile steel construction. Numerous people think that this advanced ship ought to have withstood the harsh weather and turbulent seas, as mentioned by Lynn.
The Western Reserve’s counterpart, the W.H. Gilcher, likewise plunged beneath the waves two months thereafter.
The reality hidden within the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald
According to the Shipwreck Museum, the Great Lakes hold around 6,000 shipwrecks where approximately 30,000 individuals lost their lives.
The most renowned vessel is undoubtedly the Edmund Fitzgerald, a cargo ship that met its demise in 1975 with the loss of 29 lives. This incident occurred in the same region where the Western Reserve also sank.
Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot commemorated the tragedy in his evocative song titled “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Lightfoot’s lyrics attribute the catastrophe to the “Witch of November,” known for generating intense and notable storms on the Great Lakes, which have led to numerous shipwrecks, as documented through studies.
As stated in a 1998 Weatherwise magazine article by meteorologist Steve Horstmeyer and geographer Mace Bentley, “When the witch furiously agitates her cauldron, not even the largest ships find safety on the Great Lakes.”
As winter approaches, the polar jet stream moves southward, potentially triggering storms that bring fierce winds and massive waves to the Great Lakes.
According to Bentley, this period is the most perilous time of year for navigating the Great Lakes, as approximately 40 percent of all shipwrecks in these waters happen during November.
The storms have the potential to be as fierce as hurricanes. The tempest that caused the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald featured consistent wind speeds of 67 mph, with peak gusts reaching up to 86 mph, alongside wave heights reportedly climbing to 35 feet, as documented by another ship that managed to survive the ordeal.
The Fitzgerald found itself in the least favorable position during the most severe part of the storm. Winds and waves originating from the west battered the ship’s side as it attempted to head south toward refuge in Whitefish Bay.
It plunged into waters 530 feet deep approximately 17 miles away from Whitefish Bay, close to the urban areas of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Accidents throughout the Great Lakes
Calamities on the Great Lakes aren’t confined to just Whitefish Bay.
In 1860, one of the most severe disasters on the Great Lakes occurred in Lake Michigan. The Lady Elgin, which measured 252 feet long and served as a passenger vessel, was near the coast of northern Illinois when another ship collided with it amid a stormy night. This collision led to the sinking of the Lady Elgin.
Over 300 individuals lost their lives.
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During a severe November storm in Lake Huron, the Daniel J. Morrell sank as well, resulting in 29 fatalities and only one person surviving.
The cargo vessel was completing its final voyage of the 1966 season when it faced gusts up to 70 mph and swells reaching 25 feet high. The ship split into two pieces. Only one sailor, lookout Dennis Hale, remained aboard.
discovered 40 hours later by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter
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Lake Erie, which is the shallowest among the Great Lakes, possesses one of the
greatest number of shipwrecks globally
Over 2,000 vessels have sunk in the lake, with only 400 of these shipwrecks having been discovered so far.
The most disastrous event was the sinking of the G. P. Griffith in 1850. The vessel, which had over 300 people onboard, burst into flames just off the coast of Ohio.
Approximately 250 to 295 individuals perished.
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Contributors include Doyle Rice from USA TODAY and Brendan Wiesner of the Sault Ste. Marie News
Caitlin Looby serves as a Report for America corps member, focusing her reporting on environmental issues and the Great Lakes region for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Michael Loria serves as a national news correspondent for USA TODAY.
The article was initially published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A ghostly vessel has been discovered after 132 years at the bottom of the treacherous ‘Shipwreck Coast.’
