The Ironton's fate seems particularly cruel.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Even for the Thunder Bay area, a perilous swath of northern Lake Huron off the Michigan coast that has devoured many a ship, the Ironton's fate seems particularly cruel.
No human remains were seen. But the lifeboat remains tethered to the bigger vessel, a poignant confirmation of witness accounts from 128 years ago. Nearly 200 shipwrecks are believed to rest within or nearby the boundaries of the sanctuary, which includes the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena and some 4,300 square miles of northwestern Lake Huron.
"It's where the upbound and downbound shipping kind of crossed each other," Gray said."Busy intersections are where most accidents happen."On the fateful night, the Ironton and another schooner barge, the Moonlight, were being towed northward from the Lake Erie town of Ashtabula, Ohio, by a steam-powered ship — a common practice then, much as a train engine pulls freight cars on a railroad. They were bound for Marquette, a port city on Lake Superior.
They picked up the other two Ironton men. But a wave overturned the craft, flinging everyone into the water. Hebard crewmen tossed lines and pulled all to safety except Ironton mate Ed Boswick, who couldn't muster the strength to hold on.So fierce was the gale that it claimed yet another schooner, the William Home, farther west on Lake Michigan. Six of seven crew members died.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Long-lost Ironton ship found in Lake Huron, confirming tragic storyThe Ironton was a 191-foot cargo vessel that collided with another ship in rough seas in 1894. Its whereabouts had long eluded shipwreck hunters, until now.
Read more »
Ironton Found in Lake Huron After Evading Shipwreck Hunters for Over a CenturyThe cargo vessel collided with a grain hauler in 1894, sinking both. The Ironton’s captain and six sailors clambered into a lifeboat but it was dragged to the bottom before they could detach it from the ship. Only two crewmen survived.
Read more »
Long-lost ship found in Lake Huron, confirming tragic storyThe Ironton's fate seems particularly cruel.
Read more »
Long-lost Ironton ship is found in Lake Huron after eluding hunters for more than a centuryThe Ironton, a cargo ship that sank in 1894 and has evaded shipwreck hunters for more than a century, has finally been found in Lake Huron.
Read more »
Long-lost ship found in Lake Huron, confirming tragic storySearchers have found a long-lost Great Lakes ship that came to a tragic end
Read more »
Long-lost ship found in Lake Huron, confirming tragic storyEven for the Thunder Bay area, a perilous swath of northern Lake Huron off the Michigan coast that has devoured many a ship, the Ironton’s fate seems particularly cruel.
Read more »