Dec. 2006 Vol 7

The Explorer is a regular publication of MSRA and is distributed via email. For more information visit www.michiganshipwrecks.org

By all accounts the semi-whaleback Andastewas an ugly ship. This strange looking, slope-sided ship was 266 feet long when launched intothe Cuyahoga River as hull #16 at the ClevelandShip Building Company docks in 1892. The steelhulled ship had a beam of 38 feet and a cargocapacity of 3000 tons. The ship was built for theLake Superior Iron Company and sported thelatest triple expansion steam engine with a 36stroke which supplied 900 horsepower at 90revolutions. Scotch boilers, eleven feet indiameter andtwelve feet in length— each with twofurnaces —produced a workingsteam pressure of160 pounds persquare inch.

The Andaste was asister ship to theChoctaw, alsoowned by the LakeSuperior firm. Bothplied the GreatLakes with loads of coal, pig iron and iron oreuntil 1898 when the company went bankrupt.The ships were then sold to the Cleveland CliffsIron Company.

The Choctaw was lost in 1916 when she wasrammed and sunk by the Canadian steamerWacondah in Lake Huron. She lies in 275 feetof water.

The Andaste lived on - but with modifications.She was delivered to Great Lakes EngineeringCompany in the winter of 1920-21 to be

shortened by 24 feet to a new length of 242feet. This was to allow her to enter the WellandCanal and the St. Lawrence River increasingher potential ports of call. But alas, the Andastewas financially unsound & seem destined forthe wreckers yard.

In 1925 she was sold to the Cliffs-L. D. SmithSteamship Company. Manager Leatham D.Smith had designed a self-unloading systemwhich would prolong the lives of older ships by

allowing them to unloadanywhere, without theneed for expensivedockside equipment.The ship was adaptedand large derricks andother structures wereadded to her decks,making the iron boateven more top heavy.

In 1928, the Andastewas chartered to theConstruction MaterialsCompany of Chicago

supplying their south Chicago docks with sand,gravel and other material as needed. Her captainwas Albert L. Anderson of Sturgeon Bay, WI.

On the afternoon of Monday, September 9,1929 the Andaste was docked at Ferrysburg,Michigan, up the river from Grand Haven, takingon a load of gravel. She passed the GrandHaven harbor piers at 9:03 PM, heading westsouthwest across the southern end of LakeMichigan toward Chicago. Not many paidattention, since she made this journey fourtimes a week. She was due in South Chicago

Holiday GreetingsHoliday GreetingsHoliday GreetingsHoliday GreetingsHoliday GreetingsGreeetings MSRA Members,

As we near the end of another year, wethink back on the success we’ve hadand the blessings we’ve enjoyed. 2006was indeed another eventful year forMSRA:• We had the opportunity topresent at four major shipwreckconferences: Ghostships Festival inMilwaukee, Our World Underwater inChicago, Beneath the Seas in NJ, andBay Area Divers in Ohio.• Valerie van Heest wasnamed to the Women Divers Hall ofFame in March.• Ralph Wilbanks, HarryPecorelli and Steve Howard of NUMAarrived in May and spent 30 days withus searching for Flight 2501.• Dave Trotter worked with usin July, leading to the discovery of thehistorically significant Hennepin andan unidentified schooner.• Our new friends Ron &Heather Potter led us to a modernbarge wreck that we now callPotter’s Barge.• We spent the late summerscuba diving and documenting thesediscoveries.• We were honored to presentalongside the Deep Sea Detectives/Shadow Divers (Chatterton & Kohler)in Sandusky, Ohio.• We presented to hundredsof other people at 10 additional libraryand historical society meetings.

Whew, that’s a full year! And we couldnot do any of it without you, our membersand supporters.

As you know, MSRA is funded solely bycontributions from members and incomefrom our annual “Evening Beneath TheInland Seas” event. Please let us knowif you’d like to make a year-endcontribution, buy a membership as a gift,or contribute in other ways. We needyou as a member of our team!

And now, as the gales of November turninto the storms of December, let’s curlup by the fireplace with a good bookand enjoy some quiet winter evenings— dreaming of ships gone missing...

Craig RichCraig RichCraig RichCraig RichCraig Rich

The Search is On! - Find the AndasteThe Search is On! - Find the AndasteThe Search is On! - Find the AndasteThe Search is On! - Find the AndasteThe Search is On! - Find the Andaste

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The Andaste

The Search is On for the Andaste, The Search is On for the Andaste, The Search is On for the Andaste, The Search is On for the Andaste, The Search is On for the Andaste, Con’t from page 1

Tuesday morning. At about ten PM, a stiff windarose, later becoming a full gale. The Andastewas noted to be late on Tuesday but no alarmwas raised until Wednesday since the old shipwas often tardy. With no radio, there was noway to ascertain the fate of the ship. After twodays, however, it was feared the ship was lost.

Wreckage began to drift ashore along the LakeMichigan beaches from Grand Haven to CastlePark, south of Holland. George Getz, owner ofthe Getz Farm north of Holland discovered anoar and other pieces of wreckage. At Castle Park,the first body was recovered. Others washedashore at Jenison park, and Grand Haven. Thebodies of 14 of the 25 crew members ultimatelyfloated to shore, 11 of them wearing life jackets.

The Van Zantwick Funeral Home in Grand Havenhandled the arrangement for the 16 victimswhose bodies eventually washed up on theshores of Lake Michigan.

A full inquest was held in Holland resulting inthe statement that the ship was in good conditionand there was no “laxity” on the part of those incharge. The jury made three far reachingrecommendations as a result of the trial:1. That all ships be equipped with wireless (radio)2. That a central marine office be located wheredelays are reported

3. That proper search and rescue facilities bemaintained on all of the Great Lakes.So where is the Andaste? Captain George VanHall, who took accurate current readings on theday following the sinking and whose tug BerthaG. had discovered the first wreckage, testifiedit was his opinion the Andaste sank 25 or 30miles out in the lake. John Swift, a cottageowner between Holland and Grand Haven toldjurors at the inquest that he was awakened by

a terrible storm at 1:00 AM and saw lights froma ship, apparently close to shore. The lightsremained until about 4:00 AM. Newspaperreports of the time speculated she may havesunk in about 60 fathoms (360 feet) off PortSheldon, north of Holland.

Perhaps MSRA will be fortunate in makinganother discovery in 2007. Perhaps the Andastewill finally return home to port!

The Andaste CrewThe Andaste CrewThe Andaste CrewThe Andaste CrewThe Andaste Crew

Patience and persistence are two qualities that have been attributed to Clive Cussler, authorand shipwreck hunter, who has in some instances devoted over a decade to the search for lost

vessels. The Board of MSRA works to follow in the footsteps of this great anddedicated man and adopted those two qualities as well. It took the MSRA teamthree years to finally locate the wreck of the MICHIGAN, and with five seasons underour belts, we have not yet given up the dream to one day locate the final restingplace of the CHICORA. And like MSRA’s persistence to attempt to find thosevessels, neither MSRA nor Clive Cussler has given up the hope of locating thewreckage of Northwest Flight 2501. After three seasons of searching, the NUMA/MSRA team has covered 45 square miles of bottomlands, and located every rock,tree, clay ridge and even a few vessels, however the DC-4 remains illusive.

The search will resume in May 2007 and the team is hopeful that with new informationgathered in 2006, the possibility of a discovery is closer than ever.

Flight 2501Flight 2501Flight 2501Flight 2501Flight 2501

Captain Albert L. Anderson, 64

John Anderson, Deckhand

James Bayless, Benton Harbor, MI

A. Bluechelt, Grand Haven, MI

Charles Brown, First mateGrand Haven, MI

Thomas Godas, Fireman

Clifford Gould, EngineerLincoln, NE

Max Green, Deckhand

Orville Johnson, South Dakota

William Joslin, FiremanGrand Haven, MI

Frank Kasperson Cook/WatchmanGrand Haven, MI

Claude J. Kibby, Chief EngineerBenton Harbor, MI

William Lorenz, Grand Rapids, MI

Harry F. Lutes, Benton Harbor, MI

Joseph McCadde, 2nd MateCleveland, OH

Fred Nienhuis, Crane OperatorFerrysburg, MI

George Rathcliff, Fireman

H. Raymond

Henry Schuitema, Grand Rapids

Darwin Smith, South Dakota

Theodore Torgeson, WheelsmanOwen, WI

George Watt, 2nd CookGrand Haven, MI

Harold Whittaker

Ralph Wiley, Assistant EngineerBenton Harbor, MI

Earl Zietlow, 14 on his first voyage

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The Actual Plane! -

The Hunt Continues for Flight 2501The Hunt Continues for Flight 2501The Hunt Continues for Flight 2501The Hunt Continues for Flight 2501The Hunt Continues for Flight 2501

It certainly was time for an event such as this!MSRA has been a membership organization fora few years now, and except at the annual eventin May each year, there are few opportunities tomeet as a group. This was a great opportunityto put faces with names, introduce members tomembers, and have those get-to-know-youconversations.

The MSRA boardall attended theevent with theexception ofGeoff Reynolds,who had priorcommitments.(Jan Miller, hiswife Theresa andtheir two boyssnuck out beforethe camera could capture them.) We were happy to have somany members join us for the gathering which allowed us to allget betteracquainted.

M a n ythanks toe v e r y o n efor the wo-n d e r f u lassortmentof food. Noone wenth o m eh u n g r y - -that’s fors u r e ,e s p e c i a l l yafter thed e s s e r t sprepared by Vickie Rich!! Hopefully everyone got a chance towatch some of the video of dives on the Hennepin before thefootage is edited for the documentary MSRA is now producing.

We were happy to have people congregate in our “shipwreck room”where we proudly display historic photos of all the shipwrecks thatMSRA has discovered over the years including one, (which is not

really a shipwreck), the Northwest DC-4 thatwe hope to discover this year. If MSRAcontinues on with its current rate of success,we will need to expand the shipwreckparaphernalia into other parts of the house!

It’s always fun to talk with the technical diverswho have spent the time up close and personal

First Annual MSRA Year End Wrap-up PartyFirst Annual MSRA Year End Wrap-up PartyFirst Annual MSRA Year End Wrap-up PartyFirst Annual MSRA Year End Wrap-up PartyFirst Annual MSRA Year End Wrap-up Party

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MembershipMembershipMembershipMembershipMembership$25 Annual Individual MembershipIncludes one free admission to May“Mysteries and Histories” event, daily searchemails and MSRA newsletters.

$50 Annual Family MembershipIncludes two free admissions to May“Mysteries and Histories” event, daily searchemails and MSRA newsletters.

$100 Sustaining MembershipIncludes two free admissions to May“Mysteries and Histories” event, daily searchemails and MSRA newsletters, plus acomplimentary documentary in video or DVDformat.

$250 BenefactorIncludes two free admissions to May“Mysteries and Histories” event each year,daily search emails and MSRA newsletters,plus two complimentary documentaries invideo or DVD format.

$500 Individual SponsorIncludes the above plus the opportunity foryou to join the MSRA search crew on a sidescan expedition for one day during the June2007 “Wreck Quest”.

$1,000 Patron/Lifetime MemberIncludes the above plus opportunity for youand a friend to join the MSRA search crew ona side scan expedition for one day during theJune 2007“Wreck Quest”.

$5,000 Corporate SponsorIncludes the above plus opportunity for youand a friend to join the MSRA search crew ona side scan expedition for one day during theJune 2007 “Wreck Quest”, AND corporateadvertising in MSRA web site, newslettersand other publications for two years.

Memberships and Donations cannow be made on line using Paypalat the MSRA web sitewww.michiganshipwrecks.org oryour check can be mailed toMSRA 1134Goodwood Ct.Holland, MI 49424

We hope that as the year comes toan end, you will consider increasingyour level of membership, or make ayear end donation. Your fundingwill be directed towards thedocumentation of the Hennepinand the search for the Andaste.MSRA could not continue tooperate without the support of ourmembers.

Craig Rich watches underwater video of theHENNEPIN with Chuck and Shirley Cooper

Ross Richardson, Jack Cote and Mathew Daleyponder the decomposition of the conveyor belt onthe HENNEPIN.

Jennifer Richardson and thesmallest shipwreck hunter,Mason, spend some quiet timetogether.

Bob Underhill talks “tech”and shares his underwateradventures.

Joy Cote shares the story of the wreck of theDELAWARE that occurred right in front of thelocation of their present home.

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with the wrecks. Bob Underhill and his wife Jan and JeffVoss and his wife Tamara shared stories of their diveadventures. Without them, MSRA would not have theexcellent documentary film of these historic wreck sites.MSRA’s other technical diver, Todd White, was not inattendance as heand his wife were onvacation doingsome warm waterdiving. Todd’s goodfriends, Stan andJan Buell, recent

new members to MSRA, attended and it was great to get toknow them a little better.

We certainly cannot count on each year offering the samelively discussions as a year inwhich MSRA locates threepreviously undiscovered vessels,but we hope to make the MSRAWrap Up Party and annual event.If we experience a “lean” year,

we will just have to spendthe time strategizing wherewe might find for the nextone. If youdid notmake it tothis years’event, wehope thatyou will behere forthe nextone!

ChristmasGreetingto all!

Jack andJack andJack andJack andJack andValerie van HeestValerie van HeestValerie van HeestValerie van HeestValerie van Heest

MSRA Board of Directors

Valerie Olson van HeestCraig RichRoss RichardsonJack van HeestGeoffrey ReynoldsJan Miller

Michigan Shipwreck ResearchAssociates , is a Michigan non-prof i tcorporation, whose mission is to PreserveMichigan’s submerged maritime history.To that end, the organization’s work includesresearch, exploration, documentation andeducation regarding historic shipwrecks withinMichigan waters, with an initial emphasis onthe area off West Michigan. MSRA works incooperat ion wi th State Agencies. As aHolland-based volunteer-driven organization,MSRA relies on memberships, fundraisingevents and grants to continue its work.

Associates

Brendon BaillodHistorian/Writer

Jed JaworskiMaritime Historian

Dr. David SchwabOceanographer-GLERL

Arthur AllenOceanographer-U.S. Coast Guard

Kenneth PottMaritime Archaeologist

Dr. Guy MeadowsUniversity of Michigan

MICHIGAN SHIPWRECKRESEARCH ASSOCIATES

1134 Goodwood Ct.Holland, MI 49424www.michiganshipwrecks.org

May 5, 2007Knickerbocker Theatre86 East Eighth St. 7:00

Please join MSRA and the Joint Archives ofHolland as we present Mysteries andHistories, An Evening Beneath The InlandSeas, MSRA’s 9th annual event.

The Evening will feature programs on thediscovery of the HENNEPIN, David Trotter willdiscuss his latest discoveries and RalphWilbanks will be back to share with us anotherstory of his work with Clive Cussler. Details willfollow in the new year.

Mark Your CalendarsMark Your CalendarsMark Your CalendarsMark Your CalendarsMark Your Calendars

A Great Time was had by all at the MSRA Year End PartyA Great Time was had by all at the MSRA Year End PartyA Great Time was had by all at the MSRA Year End PartyA Great Time was had by all at the MSRA Year End PartyA Great Time was had by all at the MSRA Year End Party

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Christmas Gift IdeasChristmas Gift IdeasChristmas Gift IdeasChristmas Gift IdeasChristmas Gift IdeasMSRA logo items are now available on theInternet! Caps, shirts, mouse pads, coffeemugs, tote bags and other accessoriesmake great holiday gifts and your purchasehelps fund our annual wreck quest. Justvisit www.cafepress.com/MSRA.

You also may order any of our shipwreckdocumentaries directly from the MSRA webpage using your PayPal account. Visitwww.michiganshipwrecks.org and click onthe “MSRA STORE” button on the menu.

“Chris and I really enjoyedmeeting several new people andhearing about their involvementin MSRA.” -Mari Martin

Mathew Daley, history prof atGrand Valley, shares hiswealth of knowledge aboutunloaders

Tamara and tech diver Jeff Voss talk about theirrecent dive trip to a cave in Florida.

Ross Richardson and Jack Cotediscuss the loss of the SeaMar III,which MSRA hopes one day to find.

The Zoss’s and Jim Scholz watch videoof the HENNEPIN.