Sept. 2009 Vol. 15
Summer Documentation Work Complete
Dear MSRA Members,
As the cold winds of another Michigan autumn begin to blow, the season of shipwreck hunting and documentation again morphs into the season of research, video production and preparation for next year. Summer weekends in 2009, at least when the weather cooperated, were spent diving on and documenting the three shipwrecks discovered earlier in the year. While much work remains to be done, documentation efforts will lead to an exciting program in spring 2010. The tentative date for the 2010 Evening Beneath the Inland Seas at the Knickerbocker Theatre in Holland is April 24. Watch for the next issue of The Explorer for the confirmed date. The first weekend in October brought our own Valerie van Heest yet another honor as her book “Buckets and Belts: The Evolution of the Great Lakes SelfUnloader” (co-written by William Lafferty) received a state history award from the Historical Society of Michigan in the category of private printing for its reflection of Michigan’s rich cultural heritage. Congratulations, Valerie and Bill! Looking ahead to 2010, we’re not yet sure if our ongoing partnership with Clive Cussler’s NUMA organization will bring the team back another year. With so many mysteries to be solved around the world, we’ve been privileged to benefit from six seasons of Mr. Cussler’s interest, and the six shipwrecks that were discovered during his team’s work here. As the end of the year approaches, please remember MSRA in your year-end giving. Since the organization is a 501c3 nonprofit, all gifts are tax deductible. Sincerely,
Craig Rich Co-Director MSRA
D
uring the search season with Clive Cussler and Ralph Wilbanks in 2009, three new shipwrecks were discovered as announced in the June 2009 Vol 14 of The Explorer. MSRA was able to make dives on all three wrecks during the summer of 2009 and was able to positively identify each wreck. While research continues on the three vessels, here is what we know now: About ten miles off South Haven in 125 feet of water sits a forty-foot long commercial work barge with a small crane and winch. There appears to be a hole in the bottom, but it is not clear whether put there in order to purposely sink the vessel or if it occurred upon hitting bottom. In 2010, MSRA will return to the site for further research. An article found in the Aug 21, 1968 issue of The Palladium, could explain the barge. (at right.) Con’t on Page 8
Images: The Hattie Wells image is from the collection of C. Patrick Labadie and the side scan image is courtesy of Ralph Wilbanks, NUMA.
The Explorer is a regular publication of MSRA, edited by and designed by Valerie van Heest, Page 1 and distributed via email. For more information visit www.michiganshipwrecks.org
Book Wins Award! The Historical Society of Michigan announced the winners of their annual award program at the 135th Annual State History Conference held on Mackinac Island, on Oct. 2, 2009. William Lafferty, and Valerie van Heest received a State History Award for their book Buckets and Belts: Evolution of the Great Lakes SelfUnloader. The award is the highest recognition presented by Michigan’s oldest cultural organization. The book was funded through a grant to MSRA from the Michigan Humanities Council. The Association for Great Lakes Maritime History provided a supplemental grant which allowed for the publication of 275 images in the book.
Exhibit & Video Wins Award!
A Special Programs and Events State History Award was presented to The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in St. Joseph, Michigan, for their multifaceted program entitled Working Waterfronts. This award includes the exhibit A Deep Look at the Self-Unloading Freighters designed and co-curated by Valerie van Heest and Bill Lafferty and documentary video, The Rise of the Self-Unloader, produced by Lafferty and van Heest, both supported by the grant from the Michigan Humanities Council Van Heest traveled to Mackinac Island to accept the publication award on behalf of both authors, and the Special Program and Events Award on behalf of Kenneth Pott, museum director, who could not attend the program. Please consider supporting MSRA by ordering your copy from the MSRA website at www.michiganshipwrecks.org Page 2
The Novadoc Sinking T he Armistice Day storm of November 11, 1940 that claimed the Anna C. Minch and the William B. Davock also took with it the 253-foot steel freighter Novadoc. The vessel had been built in 1928 at Wallsend-on-Tyne, Great Britain by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Ltd. At the time of her loss, she was owned by Paterson Steamships, Ltd. of Fort William, Ontario, Canada and had been bound from Chicago for Port Alfred, Quebec. Captain Steip stayed close to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan since the wind was southeast, hoping to enjoy the “lee” of the land. But the wind shifted to the southwest and began to increase dramatically. As he attempted to turn she huge freighter into the wind, it became trapped in the trough of the sea and began to roll. Waves began washing over her decks as the crew peered out toward shore, barely able to make out the Little Sable Point lighthouse high atop a desolate beach in Oceana County. As the great vessel wallowed in the waves her pilothouse windows were smashed out and she began taking on water. The Novadoc ran aground at about 7 pm that Monday evening, immediately breaking in half, severing all electric lines, and submerging both halves of the ship in the sand. Waves continued to batter the ship and soak the crew. Most of the crew spent the night
huddled in the forward Captain’s cabin and office while another group was trapped near the stern. At daybreak it was noticed that the lifeboats had been washed away. About this time the vessel was spotted by those on shore and a crowd of hundreds gathered over the next few hours. The vessel was between 500 and 700 feet off shore, but could not be reached by boat or line. On board the vessel the crew began burning furniture to stay warm while day turned into night. The next morning, the Captain ventured to the after end of the boat to see who remained. It was discovered that two men — the vessel’s cooks — had been washed overboard. During this entire ordeal, the U. S. Coast Guard had refused to come to the aid of the stricken vessel due to the ferocity of the storm. Finally, after 36 hours of waiting, a little fishing boat called the Three Brothers, manned by Captain Clyde Cross, Gustav Fisher and Joe Fountain decided to take matters into their own hands. Cross steered the little fishing tug alongside the stranded ship and rescued the entire crew of 17 men. The crew of the Minch and the Davock were no so fortunate. By Craig Rich Underwater photos above and opposite page: On September 13, 2009, Jack van Heest (above) and Valerie van Heest dived on the wreck of the Novadoc. These images by Valerie show the wreck in its glory: sunshine, and great visibility. It rests in only 15 feet of water and divers can clearly see dune riders at Silver Lake Beach State Park from the mooring on the wreck.
The Anna Minch
Despite being trapped in the frigid, battered hull of their vessel for two days, the crewmen of the Novadoc were fortunate. As they warmed themselves with rum in the Coast Guard station after their rescue, frozen bodies began washing ashore at Pentwater, evidence that none of the Anna C. Minch’s 24 or William B. Davock’s 43 crewmen survived. Initial speculation that the Minch and Davock collided spawned a seven-decade-long controversy. Clyde Cross of the Three Brothers located the submerged hull of the Minch when the storm abated. The tip of its mast protruded above the lake’s surface where the 380-foot vessel had gone down in 35-feet of water a mile from the Pentwater channel. The Sarnia Steamship Company, owners of the Canadian Minch, hired a hard-hat diver to assess whether it might be raised. The diver’s report of finding the ship in two pieces with a gash in the bow eliminated the possibility of salvage and fueled the collision theory. Only the wreck of the Davock could offer proof, but authorities could not locate it. Thirty-two years would pass before the Davock would be found. Chicago diver John Steele located the wreck upsidedown, 210-feet deep, about eight miles southwest of the Minch. Initial dives on this deep and dangerous wreck in 1972 revealed no obvious collision damage, but Steele found the rudder hard-to-port. Recent effort by maritime historian Brendon Baillod, who compiled evidentiary accounts from local divers, has provided the most plausible explanation for the loss of both ships. Upon closer inspection, divers found the Davock’s rudder chains broken. Unable to be steered, the vessel would have undoubtedly rotated sideways to the waves and capsized soon thereafter. Its overturned condition, miles from the Minch supports that theory. Divers also closely inspected both sections of the Minch, finding the anchors set as if to prevent being pushed into shore. Oddly, the stern is farther offshore than the bow, providing Baillod evidence to deduce how the Minch actually split in two: In addition to setting the anchors, the Captain would have kept up steam in the boilers to maintain some forward momentum and attempt to prevent the anchors from dragging. However, the waves grew too violent, and slammed the Minch backwards onto the sand bar, upending the stern and tearing it off. With the engine still operating, the stern would have plowed forward, perhaps colliding with the bow and gashing it, before the incoming water sank both halves of the boat. The wrecks of the Novadoc, Minch and Davock all rest within a few miles of each other and are forever linked by one fateful day. The Novadoc disaster is well documented by survivors and witnesses, but it has taken historians and divers seven decades to speak for the sixtyseven Minch and Davock crewmen who never made it home to tell their tales. By Valerie van Heest as appeared in July/Aug Michigan History Magazine
Underwater Photo at Right: In 2008 Valerie and Jack van Heest took their boat to Pentwater where Ross Richardson joined them to dive the Anna Underwater Photos: Minch. This photo by Valerie Ross On September 13, 2009, Jackshows van Heest exploring wreck. (above) andthe Valerie van Heest dived on the wreck of the Novadoc. These images show the wreck in its glory: sunshine, and great
Page 3
Griffon Discovered?
The only other shipwreck discovery on the Great Lakes that could supercede the Ontario as the oldest, would be the French sailing vessel Griffon lost in 1679. Explorers have claimed to have found the vessel in Michigan waters of Northern Lake Michigan, however over the last many years they have shown no proof of identity and have not convinced historians they have even found a shipwreck. In recent weeks a court battle has played out in Grand Rapids Federal Court and Fox 17 reporter Dan Krauth interviewed Van Heest for a September 22 story he did on the subject. The following is excerpted from his newscast: It’s a 21st century battle over a ship that disappeared more than 300 years ago. The questions of whether a diver has found the wreck of the Griffon and who owns it will be settled in a Grand Rapids courtroom. They call the Griffon the “Holy Grail” of Great Lakes shipwrecks, and a diver from Virginia claims he has found it. The Griffon went down in Lake Michigan more than three centuries ago. Built by the French explorer La Salle in his quest to find the Northwest Passage to China, it is considered the first commercial shipwreck in the Great Lakes. Historians believe it sank in a storm somewhere in northern Lake Michigan. A diver from Virginia named Steve Libert claims that after twenty six years of searching he found the ship in 2001 and that a piece of wood he videotaped sticking up from the bottom of the lake is part of it. “If this is the Griffon, this is going to be one hell of a major thing for all underwater archaeologists around the world,” said Libert. But here’s the problem. Who owns the wreckage? The diver, the State of Michigan, the federal government, or the country of France? They all want rights to the Griffon, and they’re all fighting about it in court. After five years of legal battles, the case ended up in Federal court in Grand Rapids. The court must try to determine whether Libert has the right to the wreck and be allowed to obtain permits to go down and explore it. It has been a long and expensive fight over wreckage everyone wants but some divers don’t believe is the real thing. Page 4
HMS Ontario Discovery
“I
n more than two-centuries, the wreck of the British 22-gun warship HMS Ontario, lost on Halloween night in 1780 in Lake Ontario, has NEVER been found”. This statement, from an article I wrote called Navigating through History, in the April-June issue of the Great Laker was prophetically rendered untrue just one week after going to print. Early in June 2008, two explorers, Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville, discovered one of the Great Lakes’ oldest, most significant, and incomprehensibly intact shipwrecks. The HMS Ontario, an unusual brig-sloop rig of English design, set sail from Niagara, NY captained by James Andrews. The outgoing commander of Fort Niagara, Col. William Bolton, had in his charge 88 British subjects plus, by some counts, thirty American prisoners. While sailing east to pick up a detachment of soldiers in Oswego, then head for Fort Haldimand in the St. Lawrence River, a violent gale erupted. In the days that followed, debris and bodies drifted ashore in the area that is known today as Golden Hill State Park, thirty miles east of Fort Niagara. That was the last anyone ever saw of the ship or its troops… until now! I became fascinated with the story of the Ontario as I did my research for that first article. For insight into the mystery of its sinking, I contacted Jim Kennard, a 64-year old diver and retired Kodak engineer who has discovered over 200 shipwrecks. My first question was, “have you ever searched for the Ontario?” As the only British warship sunk in freshwater, this would be an extremely significant find, even if it was just a few timbers in shallow water. “I did a lot of looking in the 70s,” he told me, “but it was like the proverbial needle in a haystack.” Six years ago Jim began a partnership with Dan Scoville, a 35year old electrical engineer and diver. Together they assembled the necessary side-scan sonar equipment, and carved out time to go hunting for Lake Ontario’s most notable shipwrecks. They were successful; in just five years, they uncovered six intact historic vessels including the schooners Milan, and Orcadian lost mid 19th century and the steamer Homer Warren, sunk in 1919, all in deep, but diveable waters. However, the Ontario was still out there. Because it was likely in water too deep for even these intrepid explorers, they decided to forego their dive gear for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film their discoveries. This meant they could move their search into deeper waters. Our conversations during the winter of 2008 about the famed Ontario reignited Jim’s interest in finding this enigmatic shipwreck. Jim and Dan had already covered almost 200 square miles in pursuit of another shipwreck lost in an area between the Niagara River and Rochester, NY and realized they were narrowing in on the Ontario as well. April weather was good this year and they hoped they could cover more territory in a focused
effort to achieve their biggest goal. But they never imagined it would happen on their fourth day out! While the sidescan image provided a silhouette-type view of a 2-masted sailing ship in waters nearing 500feet, it did not offer enough data for a positive identification. For that, they would need to send down the ROV. On June 8, 2008, two weeks after their discovery when the lake was whisper calm, they headed out to the site. As they maneuvered the ROV in the deep, dark water, the first image that came into view was a large yawl boat that had been tethered to the stern of the ship. Then as the ROV neared the stern, they saw the rudder and pivoted the camera upwards to see the defining image. Dan let out a quiet gasp as he saw the starboard quarter-gallery, an overhanging balcony-type structure unique to this British-designed ship, where the officers’ quarters were located. “There was no whooping or hollering,” Jim recalled. “It was actually a solemn moment.” They both realized they had found a war grave. This could only be the Ontario. Construction of the HMS Ontario began in 1779 at Carleton Island Shipyard located east of Kingston on the St. Lawrence River. The British, anticipating an American attack on Montreal via the Mohawk and St. Lawrence rivers, designed what would be at the time the largest and most powerful vessel on the Great Lakes, but it would never see battle. Dan guided the ROV along the rail towards the bow, where he filmed the anchors and two cannons, then located the base of the forward mast. Jim and Dan stared at the monitor, as Dan piloted the ROV up the mast. Within minutes they saw a rare site: an intact crows’ nest. While filming the second mast, they confirmed another identifying feature; few other Lake vessels were outfitted with double crow’s nests. The wreck of the Ontario is best described with superlatives. It is the oldest shipwreck discovered in the Great Lakes and it is the only intact British warship in the Great Lakes. It sank 33 years before the American warships Hamilton and Scourge, lost during the War of 1812 and found in Lake Ontario in 1973. Although it has been underwater for over two centuries, The Ontario is so intact it appears that if raised to the surface, it could sail again. The brig-sloop leans towards the port side, but the masts remain rigid in their steps. “Usually when ships go down in big storms, they get beat up. This went down in a huge storm, and it still managed to stay intact,” Scoville said. “There are even two windows that aren’t broken.” The explorers also filmed more cannons and the ship’s bell. A portion of the bowsprit remains and just below it there is a beautifully carved scroll bow stem. So we wait with bated breath to learn more about the loss of this famous ship. Jim Kennard will travel to Holland in the spring of 2010 to share the story of this historic vessel with MSRA and our members at the 12th annual Mysteries and Histories Beneath the Inland Seas. Stay tuned for more information. By Valerie van Heest as it originally
Painting Opposite Page: Launched in May 1780, the HMS (His Majesty’s Service) Ontario was an 80-foot long, 22 gun, 226-ton two-masted sloop-of-war, but it never saw battle. The ship was initially used to ferry troops, supplies and prisoners from town to town along the southern shore of Lake Ontario. It did not survive the 100- mile journey to Oswego when gale force winds pounded the lake. According to Kennard and Scoville, it was very far offshore near the Canadian border, when it was swallowed by the storm. They will not disclose the coordinates in order to protect the site. Painting by Peter Rindlisbacher from the cover of the book, LEGEND OF THE LAKE, by Arthur Britton Smith.
Photo of Explorers Opposite Page: In 2005, Dan Scoville (left) led the development of an ROV with a team of college seniors from the Rochester Institute of Technology. With removable video cameras, four high-intensity lamps, a navigational compass, and depth sensors, Dan’s design was so successful that he was hired by HydroAcoustics Inc. to manufacture and market his ROV. This piece of equipment allowed Scoville and Jim Kennard (right) to document the Ontario. Courtesy of Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville
Underwater Images Left: The Rov captured 80 minutes of video during the survey. These video captures indicate the key features that helped identify the ship. (From upper left corner) The seven stern windows, overhanging quarter-galleries, double crowsnests and scroll figurehead were unique to this ship. The proliferation of artifacts like the cannon at the bow and a rail of deadeyes is convincing evidence that Dan and Jim were the first explorers to find and film this wreck. If it had been found decades ago, like several people claimed, these artifacts would likely not still remain on the wreck. Even at this extreme depth, Zebra and/or quagga mussels cover the wreck. Images by Dan Scoville and Jim Kennard.
Save the Date
MSRA/Joint Archives Annual Mysteries and Histories Beneath the Inland Seas Saturday April 24, 2010 Tentative Date
appeared in the July-September issue of the Great Laker Magazine
Page 5
Shallow Water Wrecks Exploring a Pentwater Wreck
D
uring the summer of 2009, MSRA was contacted by two different lake front vacationers in Pentwater regarding the remains of a vessel in shallow water. Jack van and Valerie van Heest traveled to the site of the wreck on September 12, 2009 to document the remains, which rest near shore just a quarter mile south of the Pentwater channel. In only six feet of water, scuba gear was hardly necessary. They measured the wreck at 65-feet long, and like most shallow wrecks, only the keelson and frames (spine and ribs) remained. Several schooner wrecked off Pentwater over the years and MSRA turned to area expert Brendon Baillod, who is writing a book, Shipwreck of Oceana County, to help identify the vessel. While many candidate vessels wrecked near the mouth of the channel, the smallest was the Roanoke, and until further evidence appears, Baillod believes the wreck might be the Roanoke of which he writes: The 92-foot 2-masted schooner Roanoke was lost in a severe gale at Pentwater on October 27, 1866 while bound for Chicago with a cargo of lumber. Her owner and Captain, Harrison Fellows of Racine was at the helm when she was struck by a rogue wind that laid her on her beam ends. Unable to right herself, the schooner was blown aground near Pentwater and quickly broken up by the pounding surf. The Captain and crew were able to swim to shore, but the old vessel proved a total loss. The Roanoke had been built 23 years earlier at Euclid, Ohio by William Treat for N.C. Winslow & Richard Winslow of Cleveland, Ohio, and was brought out under Captain H.W. Seymour. She was initially used in the grain trade and was a common visitor to Lake Michigan, making her first call at Milwaukee in 1844. On May 14, 1845, she was sold to owners in Chicago and continued to sail out of Chicago throughout the 1850s. The Roanoke was nearly lost in a serious stranding at Muskegon in 1854 that took the lives of four of her crew. She was recovered and by 1860 was worth only $1200 with her hull classed at only C2. On May 28, 1861, she was sold by her owner James Dutton of Chicago to parties in Milwaukee who ran her in the Lake Michigan lumber trade. By 1861, the Roanoke was in poor shape and was dropped from insurance registers. She was subsequently rebuilt at Milwaukee by the Ellsworth & Davidson Shipyard in 1864 and received additional repairs in 1865. The Roanoke was last enrolled at the Port of Milwaukee Customs House on March 15, 1866 and despite her age, was considered to be in fair shape at the time of her loss. By Brendon Baillod.
Photomosaic of Pentwater shipwreck: Valerie van Heest shot images of the wreck from the surface and digitally combined them into this simple composite image.
Page 6
Drawing of City of Green Bay shipwreck: Valerie van Heest prepared the drawing of the wreck in 1996 with the help of volunteers with the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve.
Exploring the City of Green Bay
I
n July 2009, Valerie van Heest led a group of children ranging in ages from 6 to 12 on an exploration of the wreck of the City of Green Bay off Deerlick Park south of South Haven. The group included their own daughters Cella and Taya, and MSRA member families, the Hoekstras and Crawfords. Gathering the kids in the parking lot, Valerie shared the story of the 1887 sinking of the vessel through historic photos and news accounts. Then the group suited-up and prepared for the walk and swim out to the wreck. At the beach, they ventured out into the water and began wading out past a rock abutment. This is the perfect shore wreck to visit as it can be reached via a public beach without walking on private property. The wreck appeared as a dark shape in the water. Kids used masks and snorkels to view the wreck and took turns breathing off a small scuba tank to experience a longer and more detailed look from the surface. Everyone expressed amazement at seeing history with their own eyes. You can read the account of the sinking from an 1887 newspaper, The Weekly Wisconsin , at the right. Photos by Jack van Heest
Page 7
Con’t from Page 1
MSRA Board of Directors Valerie Olson van Heest Geoffrey Reynolds Craig Rich Ross Richardson Jack van Heest
Associates William Lafferty, Ph.D. Director of Research Arthur Allen Oceanographer, U.S.C.G. Brendon Baillod Historian/Writer Jed Jaworski Maritime Historian Dr. Guy Meadows University of Michigan Kenneth Pott Maritime Archaeologist Dr. David Schwab Oceanographer, GLERL Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates, is a Michigan 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to Preserve Michigan’s submerged maritime history. To that end, the organization’s work includes research, exploration, documentation and education regarding historic shipwrecks within Michigan waters, with an initial emphasis on the area off West Michigan. MSRA works in cooperation with State Agencies. As a Holland-based volunteer-driven organization, MSRA relies on memberships, fundraising events and grants to continue its work.
1134 Goodwood Court Holland, Michigan 49424 www.michiganshipwrecks.org Page 8
About 25 miles off shore in 275 feet of water lays the remains of a three-masted schooner, Hattie Wells which sank in 1912. This vessel was high on the list of wrecks that MSRA expected would be found by the NUMA team while scouring the lake bottom off South Haven. Todd White, Bob Underhill and Jeff Vos dived on the wreck early in the season. Jack and Valerie van Heest recorded their return to the surface with their positive identification of the wreck after over 90 minutes underwater. Only one dive was made as MSRA chose to focus the season’s work on documenting the third new wreck, a small schooner, as well as the “flat wreck” found last year by the NUMA team. The small schooner discovered by NUMA lays 35 miles southwest of South Haven in 200-feet of water. Ralph Wilbanks knew from the side scan that it was a 60foot schooner. Only two 60-foot schooners (that we know of) were lost off West Michigan: The William Tell, lost to fire in 1869 and the A.P. Dutton, lost to storm in 1868. Valerie and Jack van Heest, White, Underhill and Vos made the initial dive on the wreck in June. It was immediately apparent that the wreck was the William Tell, as the timbers had burned down to the line of the cargo hold. A white substance was still mounded within the exposed hold. In the days following the dive, Valerie Van Heest applied for a permit to remove some of the white material from the wreck so that it could be tested for a positive ID. The team returned to the wreck upon receipt of the permit to collect some cargo. The chemistry department at Hope College will do the lab work needed to positively identify the lime in late October. The near certainty of this wreck being the Tell, prompted MSRA to return to the “flat wreck” found last year, which also measured 60 feet, although so little remains of the ship that MSRA was not even certain what type of vessel it was. Dives in August and September convinced the team the vessel was a schooner. The possibility exists that the wreck is the A. P. Dutton, although nothing could provide a positive ID. While the size points to the Dutton, the team realizes this may have been a purposeful scuttle or a 60-foot schooner that we are not aware of that had been lost. Confirmation of the “flat wreck” will likely never be possible, but to know it is a schooner has been an important determination. By Valerie van Heest
Images: Valerie van Heest’s image of the “flat wreck” (above left) shows how little remains of the vessel. Bob Underhill’s photos (in this column) details the rail, bow stem and a cat-head, which indicate the vessel is a schooner. The article (above) is from an August 1869 issue of the St. Joseph Herald and details the loss of the Tell.
MSRA is funded in part by an annual grant from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, a Wisconsin 501c3 MSRAfounded is funded in by anStabelfeldt, annual grant from bypart Kimm Brad Friend and Jon Albrecht the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research