Thanks to Mlive for this:
WHITEFISH POINT, MI — A century after it sank, the wreckage of a 238-foot-long steel bulk freighter known as the Huronton has been discovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.
The Huronton sank to the bottom of Lake Superior on Oct. 11, 1923 after it was hit by a 416-foot-long bulk freighter known as Cetus.
The two ships were travelling too fast for conditions in opposite directions through heavy fog and smoke from forest fires when the bow of the Cetus ripped into the side of the Huronton, creating a massive hole in the port side of Huronton, according to a press release from the GLSHS. The force of the collision essentially locked the two ships together. The captain of the Cetus kept his engines running and pushed forward into the Huronton, essentially plugging the hole for a short time and giving the crew of the Huronton enough time to board the Cetus safely.
Even the crew’s mascot, a bulldog, was able to be rescued from the sinking ship and carried to the Cetus before the Huronton went beneath the waves.
“Finding any shipwreck is exciting. But to think that we’re the first human eyes to look at this vessel 100 years after it sank, not many people have the opportunity to do that,” said GLSHS Executive Director Bruce Lynn. “I think about some of the more interesting aspects of what we do as an organization, but the searching for, discovery and documentation of shipwrecks … especially if it’s a vessel that sank a hundred years ago, is pretty exciting because, it’s truly a part of our past.”
The GLSHS found the wreckage approximately 800 feet below the surface thanks to the society’s sonar towfish, which was being pulled across the lake. A small area was marked as a possible point of interest and when the crew returned to check it out, they discovered the Huronton wreckage.
“The depth dropped on us from 300 feet to 800 feet. And for us to keep a good sonar image of the bottom, we would have to let out a lot more cable or slow down” said Director of Marine Operations, Darryl Ertel. “It was just a small 800-foot hole and there was a little sliver in there that was a straight line, but it looked like the size of a thread. And because it was a straight line, I marked it as a possible target, 4 hours later, we come back on our way home to check it. And sure enough, it was a shipwreck.”
Original article
