WHITEFISH POINT, MICH. – A World War I-era freighter that sank to the bottom of Lake Superior 100 years ago has been located.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) announced the discovery of the steel bulk freighter Huronton. The freighter sank more than 800 feet to the bottom of Lake Superior on Oct. 11, 1923.
“Finding any shipwreck is exciting. But to think that we’re the first human eyes to look at this vessel 100 years after it sank, not many people have the opportunity to do that,” GLSHS Executive Director Bruce Lynn said. “I think about some of the more interesting aspects of what we do as an organization, but the searching for, discovery and documentation of shipwrecks . . . especially if it’s a vessel that sank a hundred years ago, is pretty exciting because, it’s truly a part of our past.”
The day the freighter sank, the 238-foot-long Huronton was empty and headed upbound on Lake Superior in heavy fog and smoke from forest fires. At the same time, the 416-foot-long bulk freighter Cetus was fully loaded and headed downbound.
According to the GLSHS, both vessels were traveling too fast and collided. The bow of the Cetus ripped a hole in the port side of the Huronton. For a moment, both ships were locked together. The captain of the Cetus kept his engines moving forward, managing to temporarily plug the hole in the side of the Huronton. This gave the crew of the Huronton time to get on the Cetus.
After the Huronton crew escaped onto the Cetus, they remembered the ship’s mascot, a bulldog, was still on board. First mate Dick Simpell jumped back onto the Huronton, ran to the flooding stern section, untied the dog, and carried it onto the Cetus before the Huronton fully sank.
You can learn more about this shipwreck and other shipwrecks at shipwreckmuseum.com.