WHITEFISH POINT, Mich. — The wreckage of a 19th-century ship was discovered 600 feet below the surface of Lake Superior.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) announced the exciting discovery on Wednesday.
We’re told the Nucleus was hauling iron ore Sept. 14, 1869 when a storm caused the ship tread water. The crew abandoned ship when the leak became unmanageable. The Nucleus sank after its crew members escaped in a lifeboat.
The GLSHS says the crew waved down the passing S.S. Union for help but the ship sailed on despite reports claiming the ship's crew had spotted the survivors. The Nucleus's crew were later rescued by Worthington, a schooner, without suffering casualties.
The Nucleus was discovered nearly 152 years later 40 miles northwest from Vermilion Point by historical society members in summer 2021. GLSHS says it used a side-scan sonar to locate the ship.
Society members say the Nucleus is one of the oldest ships to sink in the area.
The shipwreck was positively identified a year later with a remotely operated vehicle, according to the GLSHS.
To their surprise, the wreck was found in excellent condition.
“The stern was intact. It had a straight back stern and then the port side also was intact,” says Darryl Ertel Jr., director of Marine Operations for GLSHS. “And so, I was more excited about it because at first, I thought it was totally in pieces on the bottom.”
Executive Director Bruce Lynn tells us shovels and dinner plates were also found among the wreckage, offering a glimpse into the crew’s work lives and how they lived aboard the ship.
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