Interesting Artifacts Discovered at Shipwreck
A 19th-century shipwreck has been discovered in Lake Michigan. After a successful sonar search, the well-preserved schooner Trinidad was found. The find was compared to a «time capsule».
A long-standing wreck dating back to the late 19th century has been discovered in Lake Michigan, writes The Guardian.
< p>The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) announced that «shipwreck hunters» and historians Brandon Baylod and Bob Jack discovered the wreck of the Trinidad schooner. at a depth of 270 feet (82 meters) off Algoma, Wisconsin, earlier this year.
The «Trinidad», which WHS called a «significant shipwreck», was discovered by Brandon Baylod and Bob Jack in the middle July after a two-year search with side-scan sonar, according to an article by Baylod in Shipwreck World.
According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the schooner – the term, The Guardian explains, is used to describe a sailing vessel with two or more masts, – was built in 1867 on Grand Island, New York to trade grain on the Great Lakes between Milwaukee, Chicago, Buffalo and Oswego. She was transporting coal or iron from New York and returning from the Midwest with grain.
“Trinidad" was a «ditcher» or canal schooner specially built to pass through the Welland Canal, which connected Lake Erie and Ontario, – reports WHS.
The WHS said Trinidad's career was short-lived as her owners did not invest in the ship's maintenance. The Historical Society report added that the hull was full of holes and that its captain was nearly killed by a block that had fallen from the dilapidated rigging.
"Trinidad" departed on her last voyage on May 11, 1881, heading from Port Huron to Chicago with a cargo of coal. At some point, the ship began to fill with water. According to WHS, since the leak «was not uncommon», «Trinidad» continued on his way until «suddenly and strongly he listed and began to sink.»
The captain and crew of the vessel escaped and made it to shore, according to WHS. The only loss was the ship's living mascot, a Newfoundland dog, who was sleeping next to the stove when the schooner began to sink.
In Brandon Baylod's article for Shipwreck World, he wrote that he first became interested in «Trinidad» almost 20 years ago when I created a database of all known ships that were lost in Wisconsin waters.
According to Baylod, “Trinidad” «meets all the criteria» as a candidate for discovery, as its crew provided detailed descriptions of where it sank. Speaking to the Green Bay Press Gazette, Baylod said, «Few, if any, were looking for it, and we had a 5-by-5-mile base where we assumed the ship was supposed to be.»
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Baylod and Jack continued to work on the development of a tow fish that allowed them to use a low-frequency sonar-sounder-finder below the surface. They then created a 3D map of the lake bed, which was nearly a third of a mile wide at each pass, Baylod explained in the paper.
When scientists saw the first image of the wreck, it looked little more than a «fuzzy spot”. They then turned back for a re-entry at slower speed and higher resolution and were able to clearly see the wreck, which was «surprisingly undamaged» as the deckhouse was still in place.
In situ the shipwreck also contained the belongings of the crew, crockery, anchors, a bell and other artifacts. “This is one of the most intact wrecks ever found in Wisconsin waters… This is a very important find, it's like a time capsule”, said Beilod.