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During a fishing excursion on Lake Michigan, a father and daughter stumbled upon a shipwreck estimated to be over 150 years old, which had never been seen before.
Earlier this summer, Tim Wollak and his daughter Henley, who reside in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, discovered an uncharted shipwreck.
Mr. Wollak told Fox 11 that he was surprised he had never seen it before, considering it is in a frequently visited area.
After conducting research, Mr. Wollak concluded that the ship was the Erie L Hackley, and shared details about the discovery on various Facebook groups within the community.
The posts were ultimately discovered by the Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program at the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), which determined that the information matched that of the barkentine George L Newman.
The boat, built by Benjamin Flint in 1855, was a wooden sailing ship with three masts. It was made in Black River, Ohio and had dimensions of 122 feet in length, 26.3 feet in width, and an 11-foot depth.
On the night of October 8, 1871, the barquentine ship was navigating through heavy smoke caused by the Great Peshtigo Fire, the deadliest fire in American history that claimed over 1,200 lives. The ship was carrying a load of timber from Little Suamico when it ran aground on the southeastern tip of Green Island in Wisconsin.
As per WHS, the smoke was extremely thick, causing the keeper of Green Island lighthouse to leave the light on during daylight hours. Samuel Drew, the keeper, successfully saved the crew and they stayed at the lighthouse for seven days, salvaging whatever they could from the damaged ship.
The vessel was deserted, buried in sand, and eventually overlooked – until it resurfaced and was discovered by the Wollaks earlier this year.
While fishing with his daughter Henley, Tim Wollak stumbled upon a shipwreck.
According to Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist for the WHS, the shipwreck was constructed in 1855, making it a noteworthy and relatively ancient wreck in Wisconsin.
“It adds an extra layer of significance to have it associated with the Peshtigo Fire.”
According to Mr. Wollak, he is uncertain if any future journeys with Henley will be as enjoyable. He expressed, “I am unsure how we can surpass this experience,” in an interview with Fox 11.
“I informed Henley that it’s highly unlikely for anyone else at her school to have discovered an undocumented shipwreck before… Looks like we’ll have to continue exploring and see if we come across any more shipwrecks.”
Source: independent.co.uk
