Taken from the Alpena News - 7/26/07
Three years later, pair find site of D.M. Wilson shipwreck
By PHIL WENZEL
It took several years of work and a lot of patience, but in the end the search by Joe Sobczak and Darryl Wright paid off.
They found the D.M. Wilson.
The 179-foot wooden steamship sank somewhere north of Thunder Bay Island in 1894. It had been built only 21 years earlier and was one of the earliest steamships on the Great Lakes. In fact, it was built with two sail masts because people at the time did not yet entirely trust steam power.
The wreck did not kill any sailors they were rescued by another ship. Originally sea officials knew where the wreck was and even marked it to prevent other boats from colliding with it. But as time went on they lost track of where it was and the Wilson was lost for a second time.
But on July 17 the wreck was found again thanks to perseverance and new technology.
When youve been looking for something for three years and finally get some results of it its exciting, said Sobczak, owner of Thunder Bay Scuba in Alpena. He sits on both the Thunder Bay Underwater Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee and the Thunder Bay Underwater Preservation Committee.
The vessel now lies in about 45 feet of water 1 1/2 miles north of Thunder Bay Island. The search for the Wilson began in 2003 when its anchor was discovered in Lake Huron. Sobczak said he and Wright, a semi-retired industrial furnace technician from downstate, searched the area around the anchor but did not find the ship.
The following year they followed the anchors line but again came up empty handed.
(We said) OK, we followed the anchor chain and that didnt help, lets follow the debris, Sobczak said. The men did that last year and it turned up nothing as well.
So this year they started filling in the space between their previous search sites. They finally found it while graphing the bottom of the lake with Wrights boat. Wright, who owns professional graphing and exploring equipment, dropped an underwater camera overboard and knew they had found what they were looking for.
Wright said both men were very excited by their discovery.
Especially Joe he had put a lot of time and energy into trying to map where this thing had gone, Wright said.
The two men returned two days later with Pat Labodie, a Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary historian. He dove the wreck with them, eager to study the 113-year-old wreck.
Typically a wreck so shallow would be wasted away by waves and ice. But the Wilson is relatively well preserved, Labodie said.
This one is really quite intact right up to the main deck, Labodie said. He wants to continue studying and diving the wreck.
The Wilson is buried about eight feet deep in clay, Sobczak said. He said the clay has helped in the ships preservation and so has its coal cargo, still in place inside the hull. The two forces pushing against one another have kept the Wilson from breaking apart.
Both Wright and Sobczak discussed plans to look for more lost wrecks in the Alpena area.
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I have already seen the video of their first dive. Looks Great!!!
Three years later, pair find site of D.M. Wilson shipwreck
By PHIL WENZEL
It took several years of work and a lot of patience, but in the end the search by Joe Sobczak and Darryl Wright paid off.
They found the D.M. Wilson.
The 179-foot wooden steamship sank somewhere north of Thunder Bay Island in 1894. It had been built only 21 years earlier and was one of the earliest steamships on the Great Lakes. In fact, it was built with two sail masts because people at the time did not yet entirely trust steam power.
The wreck did not kill any sailors they were rescued by another ship. Originally sea officials knew where the wreck was and even marked it to prevent other boats from colliding with it. But as time went on they lost track of where it was and the Wilson was lost for a second time.
But on July 17 the wreck was found again thanks to perseverance and new technology.
When youve been looking for something for three years and finally get some results of it its exciting, said Sobczak, owner of Thunder Bay Scuba in Alpena. He sits on both the Thunder Bay Underwater Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee and the Thunder Bay Underwater Preservation Committee.
The vessel now lies in about 45 feet of water 1 1/2 miles north of Thunder Bay Island. The search for the Wilson began in 2003 when its anchor was discovered in Lake Huron. Sobczak said he and Wright, a semi-retired industrial furnace technician from downstate, searched the area around the anchor but did not find the ship.
The following year they followed the anchors line but again came up empty handed.
(We said) OK, we followed the anchor chain and that didnt help, lets follow the debris, Sobczak said. The men did that last year and it turned up nothing as well.
So this year they started filling in the space between their previous search sites. They finally found it while graphing the bottom of the lake with Wrights boat. Wright, who owns professional graphing and exploring equipment, dropped an underwater camera overboard and knew they had found what they were looking for.
Wright said both men were very excited by their discovery.
Especially Joe he had put a lot of time and energy into trying to map where this thing had gone, Wright said.
The two men returned two days later with Pat Labodie, a Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary historian. He dove the wreck with them, eager to study the 113-year-old wreck.
Typically a wreck so shallow would be wasted away by waves and ice. But the Wilson is relatively well preserved, Labodie said.
This one is really quite intact right up to the main deck, Labodie said. He wants to continue studying and diving the wreck.
The Wilson is buried about eight feet deep in clay, Sobczak said. He said the clay has helped in the ships preservation and so has its coal cargo, still in place inside the hull. The two forces pushing against one another have kept the Wilson from breaking apart.
Both Wright and Sobczak discussed plans to look for more lost wrecks in the Alpena area.
*********************************************
I have already seen the video of their first dive. Looks Great!!!
