Wisconsin shipwreck hunters have discovered a 131-year-old shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan that fell victim to a storm and claimed the life of the captain’s dog.
The Margaret A. Muir, a schooner, was found off the coast of Algoma, Wisconsin, on May 12, moments before the Wisconsin Association for Underwater Archaeology research team nearly took sonar out of the water for the day, a Press release saying.
“I knew she was going to be in about 50 feet of water, I knew her sides had opened up. I knew she was lying down and I knew she was going to be harder to find,” said Brendon Baillod, a member of the search crew. Fox 6 Milwaukee.
Tamara Thomsen, a member of the Wisconsin Historical Society, said all pieces of the ship have been found, including personal items the sailors lost in the wreck.
The 130-foot three-masted schooner was supposed to dock south of Chicago from Bay City, Michigan, when it became caught in a storm with hurricane-force winds of 50 mph around 5 a.m. on Sept. 30, 1893.
Margaret A. Muir, a schooner, was found off the coast of Algoma, Wisconsin, on May 12, moments before the Wisconsin Association for Underwater Archaeology research team was nearly set to lift sonar out of the water for the day.
The 130-foot three-masted schooner was due to dock in South Chicago from Bay City, Michigan, when it became caught in a storm with hurricane-force winds of 50 mph around 5 a.m. on September 30, 1893.
The ship battled the harsh weather until 7:30 a.m. when massive waves crashed over its deck and several feet of water began to fill the hold, prompting Captain David Clow, 71, to ask his crew to abandon ship.
The ship had almost reached Ahnapee (present-day Algoma) when it was abandoned.
“No sooner was the order given than the ship lurched violently and sank to the bottom, taking with it Captain Clow’s faithful dog and the ship’s mascot,” WUAA said.
Although all the sailors survived the sinking, they still had to battle 15-foot waves in an open boat, where they were forced to keep “bailing” water from the lifeboat to reach shore.
The ship battled the harsh weather until 7:30 a.m. when giant waves crashed onto its deck and several feet of water began filling the hold, prompting Captain David Clow, 71, to ask his crew to abandon ship.
The ship had almost reached Ahnapee (present-day Algoma) when it was abandoned.
They eventually reached safety, where a neighbor saw the six-person crew soaked and freezing. They were taken to the St. Charles Hotel to rest and get dry clothing.
Captain Clow mourned the loss of his faithful dog, saying that he “would rather lose any sum of money than let that brute die like him.”
The old captain stopped sailing after the shipwreck, despite having seen many in his time, and said: “I have stopped sailing, because the water no longer seems to have any liking for me.”
The WUAA began searching for the wreck after Baillod compiled a database of Wisconsin shipwrecks from 20 years ago and found the Muir to be “particularly easy to find.”
The old captain stopped sailing after the shipwreck, despite having seen many in his time, and said: “I have stopped sailing, because the water no longer seems to have any liking for me.”
The site is now in the process of being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.
The group was approached in 2023 to undertake a search for the ship, and they narrowed the search area to five square miles using historical materials.
Sonar detected the wreck a few miles off the entrance to Algoma Harbor.
The site is now in the process of being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.
Another shipwreck, the Trinidad, which was also located off Algoma in June 2023, has been designated a historic site.
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