Shipwreck hunters were stunned to discover a sunken ship in Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake, dating back to 1940.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain announced Monday the discovery of the 244-foot (74-meter) bulk carrier. arlington The incident occurred approximately 35 miles north of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula in waters approximately 200 meters deep.
of arlington She left Port Arthur, Ontario, fully loaded with wheat, on April 30, 1940, bound for Owen Sound, Ontario, under the command of Captain Frederick “Taty Bug” Burke, a Great Lakes veteran.
but, arlington And even bigger cargo ships, collingwood, while attempting to cross Lake Superior, encountered heavy fog and a storm after nightfall that overtook both ships.of arlington I started drinking water.
The ship's first mate ordered: arlington According to the discoverers, a course along Canada's northern coast would have provided some protection from the wind and waves, but Burke canceled that plan and ordered the ship to return to a course across the wide lake.
Early in the morning of May 1, 1940, arlington As the ship began to sink, the chief engineer sounded the alarm. The group said in a statement that the crew began to abandon ship “fearing for their lives and without orders from Captain Burke.”
All crew members arrived safely collingwood With the exception of Burke, he arlington. He was last seen near the cockpit, reportedly waving at the aircraft. collingwoodMinutes before his boat disappeared into the lake.
“No one knows the answer” to why Mr Burke acted the way he did before the ship was lost, the shipwreck association said in a statement.
“It’s so much fun to solve just one more of Lake Superior’s many mysteries. arlington Far away, on a lake,” Fountain said in a statement. “We hope this final chapter of her story brings some closure to Captain Burke's family.”
of arlington Bruce Linn, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, said the discovery was made thanks to Fountain, of Negaunee, Michigan, who has been searching for shipwrecks and doing remote sensing on Lake Superior for about a decade.
Fountain approached the group near the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula with a “potential target.” arlington Lin said it was discovered last year.
“These targets don't always lead to anything…but this time it was definitely a shipwreck. A shipwreck with an interesting and perhaps mystical story,” he said in a statement. “If Dan hadn't contacted us, we might never have found the place.” arlington”