Diving On A Newly Discovered Wreck

[Nitrox Junkie]

I just found this info on the net about the William young that we dove last fall up at the Straits of Mackinac!
Jeff 'Great lakes diver

Shipwreck Stories



Wreck of WILLIAM YOUNG Located in Straits of Mackinac
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November 04, 2002



The schooner-barge William Young lost in the Straits for 111 years was located this August during an unrelated joint recovery expedition conducted by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Michigan State Police. The wreck was discovered by the Michigan State Police underwater search and recovery team using the identical state of the art Sonar by Marine Sonics the Shipwreck Society’s Research Vessel David Boyd carries on board. Shipwreck Society Diver Steve Ouellette, the first person to ever dive the Young, has researched and prepared her story for us in the following account…

The WILLIAM YOUNG (US # 26230) was built in 1863 at Madison Dock, Ohio, an early effort by the famous Bailey Shipbuilding organization. She was a two masted schooner built for J.L. Spink of Milwaukee, for use in the grain, iron ore and coal trade. After fitting out at Cleveland, she sailed under Captain Clifford to her new home port of Milwaukee to begin a career lasting more than a quarter of a century. She was 139 feet in length and measured 342.66 gross tons, a fair-sized schooner for her day.

During her career she had a number of major and minor mishaps, including a stranding on Bois Blanc Island, Straits of Mackinac in 1866; another stranding on Lake Erie in 1872 and storm damage on Lake Michigan in 1884. In 1889 she was converted from a two mast to a three masted schooner at the Fitzgerald shipyard, Port Huron. Late in September, 1891, she left Buffalo on tow of the propeller NASHUA, in line with the other barges NEWSBOY and THOMAS PARSONS, bound for Racine, Wisconsin with coal. The trip appeared to be doomed for disaster. On September 28, in a howling gale, the Parsons broke her towline off Fairport, Ohio, and went to the bottom.

NASHUA continued on through heavy weather until she reached the Straits of Mackinac. On October 5, just short of the present site of the Mackinac Bridge, she lost the WILLAM YOUNG. The old schooner lasted but a short time on her own. Her crew worked feverishly to recover her sails and rigging, but that was all they could save, and she went down to the bottom with her 600 tons of coal. Her people were left behind on the surface and picked up by the NASHUA.

The WILLLIAM YOUNG suffers from an unfortunate infestation of zebra mussels which were introduced to the Great Lakes by from ballast water of international cargo ships. While the Young is recognizable, and was identified by her official number, the mussels have taken away any paint and they cover most of this shipwreck.

Schooner William Young built 1863, by Bailey, Madison Dock, Ohio. 139.2 x 26.4 x 12.2, 342.66 gross tones. 325 metric tons (414.48 tons builders’ old measure). Owned in 1891 by Capt. D.B. Millen of Detroit and insured for $3,000.00.

 

[Nitrox Junkie]

This is information reguarding the search that was being conducted which lead up to the discovery of the William Young in the Straits of Mackinac 2002!
Jeff "Great lakes diver"

Society Participates in Straits Recovery Effort
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October 30, 2002



The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society with the expertise of the crew of the R.V. David Boyd, assisted law enforcement in a professional underwater search for a person reported lost in the area of the Mackinac Bridge on Thursday August 15. The week-long search was unsuccessful, and no trace of the victim has been found.

First responder was the bridge patrol followed by the Coast Guard and Michigan State Police. Sergeant Bill Estleck of the Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit was familiar with the underwater search capabilities of the Shipwreck Society’s new Marine Sonics Digital Sonar, the Phantom S4 ROV, and the R.V. David Boyd crew of experienced archeological and underwater technicians. Within a few hours of notification by Sgt. Estleck, the David Boyd was on her way from Whitefish Point in Lake Superior, then down the St. Mary’s river to the Straits.

“We are pleased to be able to rely on the Shipwreck Society as an additional resource in situations that are beyond our capability as far as search efforts go,” said Sgt. Estleck. “While we have a 90% success rate overall in searches we perform, the Straits are very deep with current. The David Boyd is equipped with more cable and other equipment than can be carried on the State Police dive/search boat.

“Procedure today is to eliminate areas by sonar where we used to have to put divers in the water. Not only is it safer, but less expensive, as we would have to pay for housing and other personnel expenses while working the dive site.”

Rough water – including a water spout – prevented a thorough search until Monday morning. The Boyd’s crew, along with the State Police personnel and their underwater search equipment, covered a large expanse of water over four days. Despite searchers’ best efforts to bring closure to the victim’s family, there were no results and the search was called off one week after the incident.