Wreck of Pioneering Steel-Hulled Steamship Discovered in Lake Superior

A steamship that was reputed to be one of the fastest and safest vessels afloat but which broke into pieces after encountering a gale has been discovered in Lake Superior, some 132 years after her sinking. The wreck of the vessel known as Western Reserve was discovered some 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior.

The Western Reserve was a 300-foot all-steel cargo ship that had a short career but which left a lasting mark on the industry even following her sinking in August 1892 causing the death of 27 with only one survivor. Built just two years earlier for millionaire Captain Peter G. Minch, a highly respected shipping magnate, the steamer was one of the first all-steel vessels on the Great Lakes.

Historical accounts indicated that the steamer was built at a time when Minch and other shipping magnates were pioneering the industrialization of bulk carrier freight service on the Great Lakes. Her steel construction made it possible for Western Reserve to carry heavier loads of freight than her wooden rival steamships.

 

 

For this reason, the Western Reserve was admired as a pioneer. Apart from being deemed one of the safest ships afloat, she was also designed to break cargo shipping records. She earned the description of being “the inland greyhound” for her outright speed on the lakes.

Ironically, the fate that was to befall Western Reserve would occur when the ship was not transporting cargo but on a leisure voyage. In August 1892 Minch decided to take his family aboard the ship for a late-summer cruise up through Lake Huron en route to Two Harbors in Minnesota.

While the weather was pleasant and Captain Albert Myer had assured Minch and his family of a smooth voyage, things started to unfold when the vessel reached Whitefish Bay. Rough weather prompted the crew to drop anchor to await better conditions. Soon after they weighed anchor and steamed into Lake Superior, where a gale overtook the ship, battered her, and caused her to break and sink. Desperate efforts to attempt survival using lifeboats proved futile, with wheelsman Harry W. Stewart being the only survivor after swimming a mile to shore after his lifeboat capsized.

 

 

For about two years, explorers at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) have been trying to locate the wreck of Western Reserve. In July last year, the society’s marine operations director Darryl Ertel and his brother Dan Ertel made the initial discovery aboard research vessel David Boyd using sonar technology. Subsequent ROV deployments confirmed the identity of the shipwreck, revealing a ship broken in two, with the bow section resting on top of the stern in approximately 600 feet of water.

“Every shipwreck has its own story, but some are just that much more tragic,” said Bruce Lynn, GLSHS Executive Director. “It is hard to imagine that Captain Peter G. 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.”

The Western Reserve is the latest shipwreck to be discovered in Lake Superior where more than 550 undiscovered wrecks are believed to be lying on the seabed.