Explorers discover wreckage of cargo ship that sank in Lake Superior storm over 130 years ago

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Hat tip, the Washington Post

Steel ship ripped in two by deadly 1892 squall is found in Lake Superior

Explorers discover wreckage of cargo ship that sank in Lake Superior storm over 130 years ago
Built to break speed records, the 300-foot freighter newspapers dubbed “the inland greyhound” was supposed to be one of the safest ships afloat.


The Western Reserve, a merchant ship that sank in Lake Superior in 1892 off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society via AP

March 11, 2025, 6:59 PM EDT / Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Twenty years before the Titanic changed maritime history, another ship touted as the next great technological feat set sail on the Great Lakes.

The Western Reserve was one of the first all-steel cargo ships to traverse the lakes. Built to break speed records, the 300-foot freighter dubbed “the inland greyhound” by newspapers was supposed to be one of the safest ships afloat. Owner Peter Minch was so proud of her that he brought his wife and young children aboard for a summer joyride in August 1892.

As the ship entered Lake Superior’s Whitefish Bay between Michigan and Canada on Aug. 30, a gale came up. With no cargo, the ship was floating high in the water. The storm battered it until it cracked in half. Twenty-seven people perished, including the Minch family. The only survivor was wheelsman Harry W. Stewart, who swam a mile to shore after his lifeboat capsized.

For almost 132 years, the lake hid the wreckage. In July, explorers from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society pinpointed the Western Reserve off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The society announced the discovery Saturday at the annual Ghost Ships Festival in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.


The broken mast from the Western Reserve, a merchant ship that sank in Lake Superior in 1892 off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society via AP

“There’s a number of concurrent stories that make this important,” the society’s executive director, Bruce Lynn, said in a telephone interview. “Most ships were still wooden. It was a technologically advanced ship. They were kind of a famous family at the time. You have this new ship, considered one of the safest on the lake, new tech, a big, big ship. [The discovery] is another way for us to keep this history alive.”

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HISTORY
'Every shipwreck has its own story': Wreck of the Western Reserve found in Lake Superior

Brendan Wiesner Sault Ste. Marie News
Published 11:27 a.m. ET March 10, 2025

Key Points
• The Western Reserve, a steel steamer that sank in Lake Superior in 1892, has been found.
• The shipwreck was located by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society using marine sonic technology.
• The ship, which was considered one of the safest of its time, sank quickly in a storm, killing 27 people.

SAULT STE. MARIE — The shipwreck of the Western Reserve, lost in 1892, has been found.

After 132 years, the final resting place of the 300-foot steel steamer has been discovered roughly 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior.

According to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, the shipwreck was discovered by Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel and his brother and First Mate, Dan Ertel, who have been looking for the Western Reserve for over two years. The brothers were piloting the David Boyd, a research vessel, during the search.

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