Great Lakes

Built in 1884 in Milwaukee, the John Evenson was a 54-foot harbor and towing tug. In June 1895, while aiding the steamer I. Watson Stephenson in maneuvering through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal with several schooner barges in tow, disaster struck. As the tug’s captain, John Laurie, crossed the bow of the larger vessel, it collided with the Evenson. The tug capsized and sank instantly. Although four of the five crew members were rescued, fireman Martin Boswell, working below deck, tragically went down with the vessel.

The Margaret A. Muir was built in 1872 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Constructed for Captain David Muir by the Hanson & Scove shipyard, the 130ft, three-masted schooner was designed primarily for the Great Lakes grain trade, although it carried various other cargoes throughout its 21-year career.

The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) has uncovered the remarkably preserved steamship Milwaukee, which vanished in 1886 after a collision and has been resting in 360ft (100m) of water for over a century.

MSRA located the Milwaukee in June 2023 using side-scan sonar and documented it extensively with an ROV. Still, the discovery was only revealed to an enthralled audience in a live announcement during their annual film festival.

After finding a particularly deep anomaly in his search for shipwrecks in Lake Superior, shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain reached out to the Shipwreck Society to help identify it. This resulted in an expedition in 2023 that culminated in the positive identification of the anomaly being the SS Arlington, which sank in 1940.

Here is its story.

The Huronton was a steel bulk freighter. It was designed to transport large quantities of bulk cargo, such as coal, grain or ore. These types of vessels are characterized by large, open holds and are specifically built to handle and transport unpackaged bulk cargo efficiently across water bodies. The Huronton, in particular, was navigating Lake Superior during its time of operation in the early 20th century.

According to a Facebook post, shipwreck enthusiasts and historians Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck located the schooner Trinidad earlier this year, submerged in 270 feet of water off Algoma.

The schooner, constructed in 1867 in New York, was a "canaller," specifically designed for navigating the Welland Canal connecting Lake Erie and Ontario. It primarily served the Great Lakes grain trade, shuttling coal and iron from New York and returning with Midwest grain.