Once thought to be lost forever, the 130-year-old wreckage of the ship Atlanta has finally been discovered at the bottom of Lake Superior. Located 35 miles off Deer Park, Michigan, the "wonderfully preserved shipwreck," lies in the murky depths 650 feet below the lake's surface, according to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS), which announced its discovery Thursday.
The GLSHS found the 172-foot schooner barge after using sonar in partnership with Marine Sonic Technology to map more than 2,500 miles of Lake Superior in the summer of 2021.
Time for research to give the wreck context accounts for the delay in announcing Atlanta's discovery, according to Corey Adkins, the communications and content director of GLSHS.
Carrying a load of coal, the Atlanta sank during a storm on May 4, 1891, while being towed by the steamer Wilhelm.
Caught in a northwest gale, not only did the towline snap, but so did Atlanta's sails, which left it at the mercy of the storm.
The seven-member crew loaded into a lifeboat and paddled for hours until arriving at the Crisp Point Life-Saving Station. While attempting to land the boat near the station, it overturned and only two members made it safely to shore.
Adkins said the detailed accounts of the wreck come from survivors' testimony recorded by the U.S. Life-Saving Service. The organization eventually became the U.S. Coast Guard.
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