'Every shipwreck has its own story': Wreck of the Western Reserve found in Lake Superior
SAULT STE. MARIE — The shipwreck of the Western Reserve, lost in 1892, has been found.
After 132 years, the final resting place of the 300-foot steel steamer has been discovered roughly 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior.
According to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, the shipwreck was discovered by Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel and his brother and First Mate, Dan Ertel, who have been looking for the Western Reserve for over two years. The brothers were piloting the David Boyd, a research vessel, during the search.
Using marine sonic technology within the Boyd, the duo made the initial discovery of the shipwreck during the summer of 2024. Subsequent trips with remotely operated vehicles revealed a ship broken in two with the bow section resting on top of the stern in approximately 600 feet of water.
'We side-scan looking out a half mile per side and we caught an image on our port side. It was very small looking out that far, but I measured the shadow, and it came up about 40 feet,' said Darryl Ertel. 'So we went back over the top of the ship and saw that it had cargo hatches, and it looked like it was broken in two, one half on top of the other and each half measured with the side scan 150 feet long and then we measured the width. It was right on so we knew that we'd found the Western Reserve.'
The Western Reserve was a well-known ship in its time, and was one of the first vessels on the Great Lakes made entirely of steel. The ship was built to break record speeds of cargo ships on the lakes, it was even referred to as "the inland greyhound" because of its speed.
Owned by millionaire and shipping magnate Captain Peter G. Minch, the ship was considered one of the safest in the water at the time. That was part of the reason why Minch took a large portion of his family on board the ship, under the command of Captain Albert Myer, for a late summer cruise through Lake Huron in August of 1892. They were on their way to the port of Two Harbors, Minnesota.
According to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, after the ship passed through Whitefish Bay, the previously calm weather turned rough, leading to the crew dropping anchor to wait out the storm. Soon after, they picked up the anchor to make their way into Lake Superior and the ship was overtaken by a strong wind.
At 9 p.m. on Aug. 30, 1892, the Western Reserve began to break apart and sink.
'Knowing how the 300-foot Western Reserve was caught in a storm this far from shore made an uneasy feeling in the back of my neck. A squall can come up unexpectedly … anywhere, and anytime,' said Darryl.
The crew and passengers tried to make their way to safety in two lifeboats. One lifeboat overturned quickly, and only two crewmen from that lifeboat were able to be recovered by the second lifeboat.
The Western Reserve sank within 10 minutes.
The remaining crew and members of the Minch family floated in their lifeboat for around 10 hours before they passed by a steamship. Unfortunately, they were unable to attract the attention of the ship by shouting and they had no flares.
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By the next morning, the lifeboat had made it within one mile of the shoreline near the Deer Park Life-Saving Station, but the lifeboat overturned. Only one survivor, Wheelsman Harry W. Stewart of Algonac, Michigan, lived to tell the tale. In total, 27 people were killed in the tragedy.
'Every shipwreck has its own story, but some are just that much more tragic,' said Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society Executive Director Bruce Lynn. 'It is hard to imagine that Peter Minch would have foreseen any trouble when he invited his wife, two young children and sister-in-law with her daughter aboard the Western Reserve for a summer cruise up the lakes. It just reinforces how dangerous the Great Lakes can be any time of year.'
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society finds Western Reserve wreck
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