100-Year-Old Shipwreck Identified in Lake Superior
The steel bulk freighter Huronton, which sank in 1932, has been identified in the depths of Lake Superior.
The long-lost Huronton ship, resting more than 800 feet beneath the surface of Lake Superior, has been identified at last on the hundredth anniversary of its demise. The steel bulk freighter was punctured after colliding with another ship while traversing through heavy fog and sank with no casualties on October 11, 1923. It sat undisturbed for a century until it was discovered through the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society's (GLSHS) use of sonar imagery this past summer.
The 238-foot-long steel vessel, manned by a crew of 17 (and a bulldog as a ride-along mascot), was empty when it was struck by the Cetus, a 416-foot-long bulk freighter carrying a full load of iron ore. According to a report from the GLSHS, thick fog and wildfire smoke significantly reduced visibility on the lake and both ships were traveling at high speeds in precarious conditions. The captain of the Cetus kept the ship's engines moving forward, effectively "plugging" the hole driven through the Huronton and providing enough time for the smaller ship's crew to deboard onto the larger ship safely with no lives lost. One crewmember, first mate Dick Simpell, actually clamored back onto the Huronton to untie and retrieve the bulldog who had initially been left behind.
Following its total evacuation, the Huronton reportedly sank within 18 minutes, disappearing for a century in the world's largest freshwater lake by area. The wreck was discovered by the GLSHS crew onboard the society's underwater research vessel, the David Boyd, which is equipped with the Marine Sonics Dual Frequency Side Scan Sonar and additional underwater digital imaging equipment.
The society's director of Marine Operations, Darryl Ertel Jr., flagged the site as a potential shipwreck after noticing a tiny straight line shown at the depth of the lake, which had suddenly dropped from 300 feet to 800 feet. A spokesperson for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum told Hyperallergic that though the wreck was discovered in August, it was positively identified as the Huronton last week, around the hundredth anniversary of its sinking.
The GLSHS's underwater footage and photos exploring the Huronton wreck show the massive puncture caused by the Cetus as well as the ship's interior.
“Finding any shipwreck is exciting," said GLSHS Executive Director Bruce Lynn. "But to think that we’re the first human eyes to look at this vessel 100 years after it sank, not many people have the opportunity to do that.”
