Lake Superior has been hiding a secret for 130 years. Thanks to sonar technology, the secret is out with the discovery of a 172-foot ship buried in the depths of the big lake.
The Atlanta was a schooner-barge that sunk in May of 1891 while carrying a load of coal. It was being towed by the steamer Wilhelm. A northwest gale snapped the towline and the crew was forced to get in the lifeboat. Only two crew members made it safely to shore.
The discovery was made 35 miles from Deer Park, Michigan, in 650 feet of frigid Lake Superior water after a tedious mapping of the lake by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and Marine Sonic Technology.
Bruce Lynn, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Historical Society, said, “It is rare that we find a shipwreck that so clearly announces what it is and the name-board of the Atlanta really stands out. It is truly ornate, and still beautiful after 130 years on the bottom of Lake Superior.”
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
