Oldpirate
Contributor
Text of a news release we issued today:
A recent expedition by the non-profit, Holland-based Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates has led to the discovery of three more shipwrecks in Lake Michigan.
The new discoveries follow by one year the discovery of the steamer S. S. Michigan and the Great Lakes car ferry Ann Arbor no. 5. The S. S. Michigan was one of MSRAs six most sought after shipwrecks while the Ann Arbor no. 5 was thought to have been scrapped.
MSRA directors Valerie Van Heest, Jack Van Heest, Craig Rich, Jan Miller and Ross Richardson teamed up with renowned Great Lakes shipwreck hunter David Trotter for this years search.
The major find among the 2006 discoveries is the historic Hennepin, one of MSRAs six most wanted wrecks and the first self-unloader in the Great lakes. The Hennepin was found upright in over 230 feet of water off South Haven. Underwater video shows the ships wheel, windlass, huge derrick-like A-frame, self-unloading gear and other machinery. Most intriguing, the vessels capstan with the name George H. Dyer the Hennepins original name before she was renamed in 1898.
The first-ever underwater video will be shown and the full story of the history of the Hennepin and MSRAs other 2006 discoveries will be told at a unique program at Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall at Hope College at 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 24. A minimum donation of $10 will be taken at the door and all contributions will directly fund Hennepin documentation efforts this summer
The Hennepin was built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1888 as the wood-hulled steamer George H. Dyer. She was renamed in 1898 and even survived a dockside fire in 1901. But by 1927, the 208-foot long once-proud vessel had reached a questionable state of repair after nearly 40 years of plying Great Lakes. Her end came while being used as a tow barge by Grand Havens Construction Materials Company.
On August 18, 1927, under tow by the tug Lotus, returning to Grand Haven from Chicago, the Hennepin met her end. She reached mid-lake when she ran into a squall at about 10:30 am. The crew worked for four hours before abandoning the vessel for the safety of the tug at 2:30 pm. The Hennepin stay afloat another four hours before finally slipping beneath the waves at about 6:00 pm. Captain Ole Hansen and his crew of 13 all lived to tell the tale. The loss was valued at $100,000.
In 1928, the Hennepin was replaced by the Andaste which would suffer a similar fate after just one year of service. The Andaste remains one of MSRAs six most wanted shipwrecks.
Also located during this years expedition were a modern barge off Port Sheldon and an unidentified wooden schooner off Saugatuck. MSRA was led to the barge by Holland area fishermen Ron and Heather Potter. The vessel lies in 200 feet of water and has been dubbed Potters Barge. It may have been scuttled or lost during construction of the nearby Consumers Energy plant.
The schooner was discovered while MSRA completed a search grid that had been interrupted by weather in 2003. Filling in the small blank space on the chart resulted in locating an intact schooner in over 250 feet of water. This vessel also shows signs of having been salvaged in the past. Documentation efforts on this vessel hopefully will lead to its identity.
Earlier this year, a joint expedition between MSRA and author Clive Cusslers National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA) produced a number of interesting targets but the location of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 remains a mystery. The DC-4 airliner crashed into Lake Michigan off South Haven in 1950 with the loss of all 58 persons aboard. The two groups will continue the search in 2007.
MSRA is a Michigan non-profit corporation, the focus of which is Preserving Michigans submerged maritime history. To that end, the organizations work includes research, discovery, exploration, documentation and outreach. The group operates solely on a volunteer basis with financial support from its board of directors, members, grants and private donations.
For the past nine years, MSRA board members have raised funds to conduct side-scan sonar surveys in Lake Michigan in an attempt to locate historic ships and share their stories with the interested public. To date the group has covered approximately 200 square miles of bottomlands. Discoveries include the luxury passenger steamer H.C. Akeley, the passenger steamer S. S. Michigan, the Great Lakes car ferry Ann Arbor no. 5, the steamer Hennepin, two modern barges and the unnamed schooner.
A recent expedition by the non-profit, Holland-based Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates has led to the discovery of three more shipwrecks in Lake Michigan.
The new discoveries follow by one year the discovery of the steamer S. S. Michigan and the Great Lakes car ferry Ann Arbor no. 5. The S. S. Michigan was one of MSRAs six most sought after shipwrecks while the Ann Arbor no. 5 was thought to have been scrapped.
MSRA directors Valerie Van Heest, Jack Van Heest, Craig Rich, Jan Miller and Ross Richardson teamed up with renowned Great Lakes shipwreck hunter David Trotter for this years search.
The major find among the 2006 discoveries is the historic Hennepin, one of MSRAs six most wanted wrecks and the first self-unloader in the Great lakes. The Hennepin was found upright in over 230 feet of water off South Haven. Underwater video shows the ships wheel, windlass, huge derrick-like A-frame, self-unloading gear and other machinery. Most intriguing, the vessels capstan with the name George H. Dyer the Hennepins original name before she was renamed in 1898.
The first-ever underwater video will be shown and the full story of the history of the Hennepin and MSRAs other 2006 discoveries will be told at a unique program at Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall at Hope College at 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 24. A minimum donation of $10 will be taken at the door and all contributions will directly fund Hennepin documentation efforts this summer
The Hennepin was built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1888 as the wood-hulled steamer George H. Dyer. She was renamed in 1898 and even survived a dockside fire in 1901. But by 1927, the 208-foot long once-proud vessel had reached a questionable state of repair after nearly 40 years of plying Great Lakes. Her end came while being used as a tow barge by Grand Havens Construction Materials Company.
On August 18, 1927, under tow by the tug Lotus, returning to Grand Haven from Chicago, the Hennepin met her end. She reached mid-lake when she ran into a squall at about 10:30 am. The crew worked for four hours before abandoning the vessel for the safety of the tug at 2:30 pm. The Hennepin stay afloat another four hours before finally slipping beneath the waves at about 6:00 pm. Captain Ole Hansen and his crew of 13 all lived to tell the tale. The loss was valued at $100,000.
In 1928, the Hennepin was replaced by the Andaste which would suffer a similar fate after just one year of service. The Andaste remains one of MSRAs six most wanted shipwrecks.
Also located during this years expedition were a modern barge off Port Sheldon and an unidentified wooden schooner off Saugatuck. MSRA was led to the barge by Holland area fishermen Ron and Heather Potter. The vessel lies in 200 feet of water and has been dubbed Potters Barge. It may have been scuttled or lost during construction of the nearby Consumers Energy plant.
The schooner was discovered while MSRA completed a search grid that had been interrupted by weather in 2003. Filling in the small blank space on the chart resulted in locating an intact schooner in over 250 feet of water. This vessel also shows signs of having been salvaged in the past. Documentation efforts on this vessel hopefully will lead to its identity.
Earlier this year, a joint expedition between MSRA and author Clive Cusslers National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA) produced a number of interesting targets but the location of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 remains a mystery. The DC-4 airliner crashed into Lake Michigan off South Haven in 1950 with the loss of all 58 persons aboard. The two groups will continue the search in 2007.
MSRA is a Michigan non-profit corporation, the focus of which is Preserving Michigans submerged maritime history. To that end, the organizations work includes research, discovery, exploration, documentation and outreach. The group operates solely on a volunteer basis with financial support from its board of directors, members, grants and private donations.
For the past nine years, MSRA board members have raised funds to conduct side-scan sonar surveys in Lake Michigan in an attempt to locate historic ships and share their stories with the interested public. To date the group has covered approximately 200 square miles of bottomlands. Discoveries include the luxury passenger steamer H.C. Akeley, the passenger steamer S. S. Michigan, the Great Lakes car ferry Ann Arbor no. 5, the steamer Hennepin, two modern barges and the unnamed schooner.
