(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – In a groundbreaking development, American explorers have made history after unearthing a piece of the nation’s maritime heritage.
They were able to locate the Western Reserve, a 132-year-old shipwreck that vanished beneath Lake Superior’s waves in 1892.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the landmark find at Wisconsin’s Ghost Ships Festival in Manitowoc.
Nicknamed “the inland greyhound” for its impressive speed and presumed safety features, the Western Reserve was one of the first all-steel cargo ships to traverse the Great Lakes, launched 20 years before the Titanic.
The ship’s final voyage ended tragically during a storm on August 30, 1892, in Lake Superior’s Whitefish Bay.
The disaster claimed 27 lives, including ship owner Peter Minch and his family members, who were aboard for what was supposed to be a pleasure cruise.
Only one crew member survived: wheelsman Harry W. Stewart. He managed to swim a mile to shore after his lifeboat capsized.
For nearly 132 years, the Western Reserve’s final resting place remained a mystery until July 2023.
At this point, explorers Darryl and Dan Ertel located the wreckage using side-scanning sonar about 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The ship was discovered in 600 feet of water, broken in two pieces, with the bow resting on the stern.
The search team confirmed the Western Reserve’s identity by using a submersible drone to capture images of a distinctive portside running light that matched an artifact previously recovered from the area.
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society executive director Bruce Lynn called the discovery “one of the society’s most significant finds.”
“There’s a number of concurrent stories that make this important,” Lynn said in an interview. “Most ships were still wooden. It was a technologically advanced ship.”
“They were kind of a famous family at the time. You have this new ship, considered one of the safest on the lake, new tech, a big, big ship. (The discovery) is another way for us to keep this history alive,” he added.
Experts believe the sinking may have been influenced by the brittle steel used during that era, a weakness similar to what caused the Titanic disaster decades later.
What’s particularly notable is that the ship went down during what historians describe as a “relatively minor gale,” especially rare for August when Lake Superior’s waters are typically calmer.
“Knowing how the 300-foot Western Reserve was caught in a storm this far from shore made an uneasy feeling in the back of my neck,” Darryl Ertel said in a news release. “A squall can come up unexpectedly…anywhere and anytime.”
Shipwreck historians often note that the Great Lakes can be more dangerous than oceans due to their size and configuration, which makes it difficult for vessels to maneuver during storms.
The same treacherous waters claimed the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, another notable shipwreck that sank near the same area of Lake Superior.
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