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Take a look inside these 4 Great Lakes shipwrecks

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DETROIT – Michigan's Great Lakes are filled with thousands of shipwrecks, dating back more than 100 years.

Many of the shipwrecks haven't even been found yet - but when they are found, they are a magnificent look into the history of our state and the lakes that surround it.

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Here are just a few of the more recent shipwreck finds:

2nd-oldest confirmed shipwreck found in Great Lakes

After disappearing in 1803, the Sloop Washington was been discovered in 2016.

What is believed to be the 2nd oldest commercial shipwreck ever discovered, the sloop Washington, also known as the Lady Washington, set sail from Kingston with five men on board on Nov. 6, 1803, only to sink in a gale on Lake Ontario. 

More info on this shipwreck here.

Divers find 106-year-old locomotive in Lake Superior

This isn't technically a "shipwreck" - but it's still cool. A locomotive that derailed and plunged from a cliff into Lake Superior was discovered after 106 years.

Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive No. 694 was discovered by shipwreck hunters in July, about 230 feet deep in the waters of Lake Superior, near Marathon, Ontario.

More on this story here.

Explorers find 1872 shipwreck of rare Great Lakes vessel

Underwater explorers say they've found the 144-year-old Lake Ontario shipwreck of a rare sailing vessel that typically wasn't used on the Great Lakes.

Western New York-based explorers Jim Kennard and Roger Pawlowski announced Friday that they identified the wreck as the Black Duck in September, three years after initially coming across it using side-scan sonar in 350 feet of water off Oswego, New York.

More on this here.

41 years ago: Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior

Perhaps the most famous shipwreck in Michigan history, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank more than 41 years ago.

A Coast Guard underwater vessel discovered the Fitzgerald's wreckage on May 20, 1976 about 535 feet below Lake Superior's surface. Divers recovered the ship's bell in 1995. The wreckage is considered a grave site by the family members of the crew and, as such, the Canadian government has declared it a heritage site. That status prevents divers from visiting the wreckage without permission.

More on the story of the Edmund here. 

If you're interested in Michigan history, check out some of these stories:


About the Author
Ken Haddad headshot

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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