132-Year-Old Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Superior

AN AMAZING RECOVERY

The Western Reserve, a 300-foot boat, was one of the first all-steel ships on the Great Lakes. It was recently discovered 132 years after its demise. The ship was found approximately 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior.

According to The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, the ship was built to withstand rough weather on the Great Lakes and was considered to be one of the safest ships on the Great Lakes. According to the GLSHC, one newspaper called the Wester Reserve 'The Inland Greyhound' because of its speed on the water.

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AN ENJOYABLE SUMMER CRUISE

It was owned by millionaire Captain Peter G. Minch, who decided to take his family on a summer cruise in August 1892. His plan was to cruise to Two Harbors, Minnesota. Unfortunately for him, his family, and many others, this day would have a horrifying ending.

The journey for Captain Minch and his family started fine. The weather was nice as they cruised through Lake Huron. But as they got closer and closer to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior, the weather took a drastic turn.

They recognized the dangers and decided to drop anchor to wait out the bad weather, but a gale force came upon the ship and sank it within a short 10-minute span.

LIFEBOATS

Before it sank, many of the people on board were able to get into the lifeboats. As luck would have it, one of those lifeboats turned over almost immediately. The remaining lifeboat, which was carrying the Captain and his family members, was able to recover two of the individuals from the other boat.

The horrifying events that fell upon the Captain, his family, and the remaining survivors were hours of pure agony.

HOURS OF AGONY

According to the GLSHS, the family and others were in the lifeboat for 10 hours during the gale. There was a point where a steamship was passing them, a chance for them to be rescued. Unfortunately, they didn't have any flares, and all they could do was scream for help. They screamed for 30 minutes, and the ship's crew never heard them.

According to history, the family was within a mile of the shoreline when the lifeboat overturned. The only survivor was the Wheelsman. Harry W. Stewart walked 12 miles once he reached the shoreline to reach the closest life-saving station.

DISCOVERY

The ship was finally discovered initially in the summer of 2024, and further deployments of rovers confirmed it was indeed the ship in question.

Learn more about this incredible and sad story by clicking HERE. You can see the shipwreck below.

KARE 11/YouTube