Frozen in Time
March 2, 2023 12:04 PM Subscribe
National Marine Sanctuary Researchers Discover Lost Shipwreck Ironton: "Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-foot Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing."
Not to be confused with the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is located on the north shore of Lake Superior, the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary on Lake Huron is the resting place of over 100 known wrecks. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary previously.
Not to be confused with the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is located on the north shore of Lake Superior, the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary on Lake Huron is the resting place of over 100 known wrecks. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary previously.
Hmmm.. Despite the (previously), I didn't know there was a Thunder Bay in Michigan as well. But then I grew up on the Lake Michigan side of the Lower Peninsula and on the rare occasions I visited Lake Huron it was generally on the Ontario / Bruce Peninsula / Georgian Bay side.
For those, like me, who were wondering where this is - Alpena is located on Thunder Bay and the National Marine Sanctuary appears to be offshore from there in the main body of the lake.
(on edit: reviewing the "previously" link - apparently I'm not the only former- or present-Michigander who didn't already know about the Michigan Thunder Bay, so I don't feel quite as ignorant.)
(second edit: Mandolin Conspiracy commented while I was editing, making pretty much the same point.. hah, indeed!)
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:43 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
For those, like me, who were wondering where this is - Alpena is located on Thunder Bay and the National Marine Sanctuary appears to be offshore from there in the main body of the lake.
(on edit: reviewing the "previously" link - apparently I'm not the only former- or present-Michigander who didn't already know about the Michigan Thunder Bay, so I don't feel quite as ignorant.)
(second edit: Mandolin Conspiracy commented while I was editing, making pretty much the same point.. hah, indeed!)
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:43 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ha. Before I made that previous post, I didn't know either, and I grew up right across the border from Michigan, and I've been to Thunder Bay, Ontario plenty of times, so you're in good company.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:45 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:45 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Great lake, or greatest lake? (I'm partial to Lake Erie, for personal reasons.)
posted by slogger at 12:46 PM on March 2, 2023
posted by slogger at 12:46 PM on March 2, 2023
> Great lake, or greatest lake? (I'm partial to Lake Erie, for personal reasons.)
They're all Great Lakes, Brent.
(Man I love reading about shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Sends me into an evening-long Wikihole every time. This was excellent!)
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 1:07 PM on March 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
They're all Great Lakes, Brent.
(Man I love reading about shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Sends me into an evening-long Wikihole every time. This was excellent!)
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 1:07 PM on March 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
How eerie that so much of the rigging is still in place.
posted by clew at 1:32 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by clew at 1:32 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
And it's sitting perfectly upright.
It's not dead, it's restin'!
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:36 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's not dead, it's restin'!
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:36 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's a good thing the price of low-background steel has fallen these past few decades, or there'd be all sorts of salvagers headed that way.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 1:42 PM on March 2, 2023
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 1:42 PM on March 2, 2023
This has a pretty ghostly quality to it:
Image of the schooner-barge Ironton as it sits on the lake floor today. This image is a point cloud extracted from water column returns from multibeam sonar.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:44 PM on March 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Image of the schooner-barge Ironton as it sits on the lake floor today. This image is a point cloud extracted from water column returns from multibeam sonar.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:44 PM on March 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Wow. Amazingly preserved!
posted by rmd1023 at 1:45 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rmd1023 at 1:45 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Does anyone know what depth the wreck sits at? I can't seem to find this info in the articles.
posted by cnidaria at 8:28 AM on March 3, 2023
posted by cnidaria at 8:28 AM on March 3, 2023
They haven't released the location of it yet, as far as I know, and I haven't seen a depth either. The Ohio, which it collided with, sits around 300 feet.
They may release that once they deploy a mooring buoy - it's a safety thing for divers who would want to explore it, and is also meant to keep boats from dropping anchor on the wreck - they can moor to the buoy instead.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:16 PM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
They may release that once they deploy a mooring buoy - it's a safety thing for divers who would want to explore it, and is also meant to keep boats from dropping anchor on the wreck - they can moor to the buoy instead.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:16 PM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is incredible.
How many ping pong balls would it take to bring it up?
posted by mule98J at 10:31 AM on March 4, 2023
How many ping pong balls would it take to bring it up?
posted by mule98J at 10:31 AM on March 4, 2023
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posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 12:17 PM on March 2, 2023 [5 favorites]