Buzz
This body of water has witnessed numerous disasters and served as the resting place for 2,500 ships.
This mysterious body of water is called Erie. It's one of the busiest inland waterways for maritime traffic worldwide. Additionally, due to its history of disasters, Erie Lake is often likened to a 'graveyard' in the Great Lakes region.
Despite being the second smallest among the Great Lakes (comprising nearly 20% of the world's freshwater surface), estimates by some archaeologists and historians suggest that up to 2,500 ships may have sunk in Lake Erie.
So far, researchers have only discovered 277 shipwrecks. However, this list continues to grow as underwater explorers conduct searches from both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, both above and below the water's surface.
Lake Erie first became a vital transportation route in North America in the 18th century. Encompassing areas from western New York to the northern parts of Ohio and southern Michigan, it provides a swift inland waterway route for traders and explorers.
According to experts, the majority of shipwrecks in Lake Erie occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, most of these vessels were relatively small, making them difficult for modern-day divers to locate. Hence, exploration and salvage efforts focus on ships sunk in the 19th and 20th centuries beneath Lake Erie's depths.
One of the most notable shipwreck discoveries in Lake Erie happened seven years ago. Back then, the Great Lakes Museum in Toledo, Ohio, announced that a ship lost 186 years ago had finally been found.
In September 1829, a 14-meter-long vessel named Lake Serpent departed from Cleveland bound for Cunningham Island, approximately 88 km away. Laden with limestone, the ship set sail back to Cleveland but encountered a sudden storm on the return journey, leading to its demise somewhere along the way.
By 2015, Tom Kowalczk, an expert from the Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE) group, stumbled upon something peculiar while scanning an area near Kelley's Island (formerly known as Cunningham Island) underwater. As CLUE divers approached, they discovered the remnants of a wooden ship.
Notably, divers also found two pieces of evidence identifying the vessel as the Lake Serpent. Firstly, they uncovered an intricate carving of a serpent on the ship's bow, matching historical records of the Lake Serpent's features. Secondly, divers found several limestone blocks still present in the ship's hold. These were the type quarried from islands in Lake Erie in the late 1820s.
As of now, the Lake Serpent remains the oldest sunken ship retrieved from Lake Erie.
Additionally, another hotspot for archaeologists to explore in Lake Erie is Manitou Passage, a waterway located near the shores of Traverse City, Michigan. In the 19th century, this passage claimed the lives of many sailors aboard timber-laden ships traveling from one port to another.
'The Nightmare' Beyond the Bermuda Triangle
According to Kevin Magee, co-founder of CLUE and an engineer at NASA's Glenn Research Center: 'We believe that Lake Erie has a shipwreck density almost larger than anywhere else in the world, even surpassing the Bermuda Triangle.'
Experts suggest that sudden storms and unpredictable wave changes could be the primary reasons for the high number of shipwrecks in Lake Erie.
Lake Erie is named after the first Native Americans encountered by European explorers in the 17th century.
This body of water was also a significant battleground in the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain. According to experts, some sunken ships scattered across the lakebed may be warships sunk during this conflict. However, none of these ships from this period have been salvaged to date.
Moreover, the increasing urbanization along the lakefront has contributed to the boost in commercial activities and fishing in the 19th century. This also led to a significant rise in the number of shipwrecks. In fact, many ships succumbed to the massive waves during sudden storms in the Great Lakes region.
Archaeologists estimate that around 80% of the sunken ships in Lake Erie still lie undiscovered in its underwater 'graveyard.' Typically, the shipwrecks in Lake Erie are relatively close to the surface due to the shallow nature of the lake. While easily spotted from the water's surface or aerial views, these sunken vessels endure harsher erosion from large waves and warm water temperatures.
Expert Kevin Magee explains, 'One of the most remarkable aspects of the shipwrecks in Lake Erie or the Great Lakes of North America is their remarkable preservation due to the cold and clean water. This slows down the decay process. There are even shipwrecks that, despite lying on the lakebed for hundreds of years, remain virtually intact.'
Experts are still striving to unlock the mysteries of Lake Erie's 'graveyard,' where approximately 2,500 ships are believed to have sunk. However, to this day, no one can provide a definitive explanation for this enigmatic body of water.
Lake Erie Monster?
Despite being the shallowest of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie holds the record for the most shipwrecks documented in history.
Specifically, in the 1980s, during some shipwreck incidents, people reported encountering a mysterious creature in Lake Erie and named it the Bessie monster. This strange creature is described as snake-like in appearance, gigantic in size with a head as large as a car.
In 1992, during an incident where 3 individuals went missing in Lake Erie, many believed that Bessie was responsible for attacking these victims. However, to this day, the existence of this monster remains an unsolved mystery.
References: Ancientorigins, Mysteriousuniverse
