The Wreck of the Western Reserve

 

OK, not exactly as tune-worthy as the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot, but this one happened in Lake Superior too, and it was recently found on the bottom. 

Unlike the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Western Reserve wasn't hit by a November gale, but rather an August gale. Lake Superior can be really mean just about anytime of the year. 

Here's the story about the find.

After 132 years, team finds wreck of the Western Reserve in Lake Superior

"The Western Reserve was the flagship of the Minch Navigation Company and carried bulk cargoes like coal and iron ore. When the vessel set out for Two Harbors, the ship was running light with no cargo and only 28 people aboard.

They included the crew and [wealthy shipping magnate Captain Peter G.] Minch, his wife Anna, their 9-year-old son Charlie and 6-year-old daughter Florence. Anna’s sister, Mary Englebry, and Mary’s 10-year-old daughter, Bertha, were also on board.

When they reached Whitefish Bay, wind and waves prompted the captain to drop anchor as they waited for a storm to pass. However, a decision to head back out into the open lake sealed their fates, and waves overtook the vessel around 9 p.m.

The ship cracked in half with most of the crew in the stern and the family and a few crew members in the bow. Crew in the back of the boat began lowering lifeboats as the ship sank."

Sadly, though the family made it into the lifeboats, as they were getting close to the shore many hours later, the lifeboat overturned and the family was lost. One survivor made it to shore.

This video from Inside Edition goes over that, and includes underwater footage.

I wanted to get an idea of how far away the wreck of the Western Reserve was from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The map linked here gives an approximate idea. The point that says "Lake Superior" is a point roughly 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point, which is where the Western Reserve is located. The red pin is the location of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  There are maps of Lake Superior shipwrecks that show there are many, many more wrecks in this area of the lake.