Two Ships Discovered In Lake Superior After Disappearing Over A Century Ago

Two ships that disappeared over a hundred years ago in Lake Superior have been discovered, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) announced last week. 

A hardwood ship from the Edward Hines Lumber Company, one of the biggest timber companies at the time, sailed from Baraga, Michigan, to Tonawanda, New York, on Lake Superior on November 18, 1914. The Selden E. Marvin and Annie M. Peterson were being towed by the boat C. F. Curtis. There were 28 people on board the boats in number, but they never arrived in New York.

The C. F. Curtis, Selden E. Marvin, and Annie M. Peterson’s’s combined losses made for one of the Great Lakes’ more tragic shipwreck stories, according to Bruce Lynn, the GLSHS ‘ executive director.

The three ships came across a serious storm that brought winter squalls, strong winds, and enormous waves at some point during their voyage. The ships, which claimed the lives of 28 people and brought enough lumber to construct 1, 200 homes on Superior’s’s streambed, were unable to survive the shock storm. For many years, scientists have been looking for the three boats.

In 2021, the GLSHS found nine disasters, one of which was the Curtis. Marvin and Peterson, the other two boats, were nowhere to be found. A year later, using a remotely operated engine, the Marvin was found just miles from the Curtis.

The two ships were discovered roughly 25 miles off the shore of Grand Marais, Michigan, which is located in the state’s Upper Peninsula on the south shore of Lake Superior – in the lake further than reports at the time suggested. This is near what researchers call the “Graveyard of the Great Lakes,” where roughly 200 of Lake Superior’s 550 estimated shipwrecks are reportedly located. 

The revelation of the Marvin, according to maritime historian and GLSHS board member Ric Mixter,” was a career show to have witnessed it, as it not only resolved one book in the nation’s’s darkest time in timber history, but also showcased an ensemble of researchers who have dedicated their lives to making sure these tales aren’t forgotten.”

Discovering the two ships was no easy task, largely because there were no survivors to tell the story — leading to a mystery many shipwreck hunters wished to solve. Researchers knew that in the days preceding the sinking of the three ships, other vessels in the Hines Lumber Company fleet had encountered rough weather, the New York Times reports. But, according to Mixter, there were no concerns for severe weather conditions the day the ships disappeared. 

Researchers determined the Marvin was most probable in the middle of the truck while the Peterson was for after examining the two ships, Mixter told the Times.

Mixter remarked,” We can see that a good portion of her stern has been torn off, and we can tell from the towing pieces that she was likely in the middle of tow.” He continued,” No one on the ship stood a risk because of the speed at which the boats went down. It really surprised us to see the problems on that ship’s’s front and up.”

In an effort to locate the Peterson, experts did dispatch players to the areas where the Curtis and Marvin were found this summers.

The Curtis, Marvin, and Peterson’s’s posts could soon be told, according to Darryl Ertel, director of coastal operations at the GLSHS.” It would be great to know where all three wrecks are lying on the bottom of Superior.”

Despite the ships’ damage from Lake Superior’s’s chilly, fresh water, they have been well-preserved and provide a picture of that historic time.

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