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Sept. 2009 Vol. 15

The Explorer is a regular publication of MSRA, edited by and designed by Valerie van Heest,and distributed via email. For more information visit www.michiganshipwrecks.org

Dear MSRA Members, As the cold winds of anotherMichigan autumn begin to blow, theseason of shipwreck hunting anddocumentation again morphs into theseason of research, video productionand preparation for next year. Summer weekends in 2009, at leastwhen the weather cooperated, werespent diving on and documenting thethree shipwrecks discovered earlier inthe year. While much work remains tobe done, documentation efforts will leadto an exciting program in spring 2010.The tentative date for the 2010 EveningBeneath the Inland Seas at theKnickerbocker Theatre in Holland isApril 24. Watch for the next issue ofThe Explorer for the confirmed date. The first weekend in October broughtour own Valerie van Heest yet anotherhonor as her book “Buckets and Belts:The Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloader” (co-written by William Lafferty)received a state history award from theHistorical Society of Michigan in thecategory of private printing for its reflectionof Michigan’s rich cultural heritage.Congratulations, Valerie and Bill! Looking ahead to 2010,we’re not yet sure if ourongoing partnership withClive Cussler’s NUMAorganization will bring theteam back another year. Withso many mysteries to besolved around the world,we’ve been privileged tobenefit from six seasons ofMr. Cussler’s interest, andthe six shipwrecks that werediscovered during his team’swork here.

As the end of theyear approaches, pleaseremember MSRA in youryear-end giving. Since theorganization is a 501c3 nonprofit, allgifts are tax deductible.

Sincerely,Craig RichCraig RichCraig RichCraig RichCraig RichCo-Director MSRA

DDDDDuring the search season with CliveCussler and Ralph Wilbanks in 2009, threenew shipwrecks were discovered as an-nounced in the June 2009 Vol 14 of The Ex-plorer. MSRA was able to make dives on allthree wrecks during the summer of 2009 and

was able to positivelyidentify each wreck.While research contin-ues on the three ves-sels, here is what weknow now:

About ten miles offSouth Haven in 125 feetof water sits a forty-footlong commercial workbarge with a smallcrane and winch.There appears to be ahole in the bottom, butit is not clear whetherput there in order topurposely sink the ves-sel or if it occurred

upon hitting bottom. In 2010, MSRA will re-turn to the site for further research. An ar-ticle found in the Aug 21, 1968 issue of ThePalladium, could explain the barge. (at right.)

Summer DocumentationSummer DocumentationSummer DocumentationSummer DocumentationSummer DocumentationWork CompleteWork CompleteWork CompleteWork CompleteWork Complete

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Images:The Hattie Wells image is from the collection ofC. Patrick Labadie and the side scan image iscourtesy of Ralph Wilbanks, NUMA.

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Book Wins Award!The Historical Society of Michigan an-nounced the winners of their annualaward program at the 135th Annual StateHistory Conference held on Mackinac Is-land, on Oct. 2, 2009. William Lafferty,and Valerie van Heest received a StateHistory Award for their book Buckets andBelts: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloader. The award is the highest rec-ognition presented by Michigan’s oldestcultural organization. The book wasfunded through a grant to MSRA fromthe Michigan Humanities Council. TheAssociation for Great Lakes MaritimeHistory provided a supplemental grantwhich allowed for the publication of 275images in the book.

Exhibit & Video Wins Award!A Special Programs and Events State His-tory Award was presented to The HeritageMuseum and Cultural Center in St. Joseph,Michigan, for their multifaceted programentitled Working Waterfronts. This awardincludes the exhibit A Deep Look at theSelf-Unloading Freighters designed andco-curated by Valerie van Heest and BillLafferty and documentary video, The Riseof the Self-Unloader, produced by Laffertyand van Heest, both supported by the grantfrom the Michigan Humanities Council Van Heest traveled to Mackinac Islandto accept the publication award on behalfof both authors, and the Special Programand Events Award on behalf of KennethPott, museum director, who could not at-tend the program.

The Novadoc SinkingThe Novadoc SinkingThe Novadoc SinkingThe Novadoc SinkingThe Novadoc Sinkinghuddled in the forward Captain’s cabin andoffice while another group was trapped nearthe stern. At daybreak it was noticed thatthe lifeboats had been washed away. Aboutthis time the vessel was spotted by thoseon shore and a crowd of hundreds gatheredover the next few hours. The vessel wasbetween 500 and 700 feet off shore, but couldnot be reached by boat or line.

On board the vessel the crew beganburning furniture to stay warm while dayturned into night. The next morning, theCaptain ventured to the after end of the boat

to see who remained. It wasdiscovered that two men —the vessel’s cooks — hadbeen washed overboard.

During this entire ordeal,the U. S. Coast Guard hadrefused to come to the aid ofthe stricken vessel due to theferocity of the storm. Finally,after 36 hours of waiting, alittle fishing boat called theThree Brothers, manned byCaptain Clyde Cross, GustavFisher and Joe Fountaindecided to take matters intotheir own hands.

Cross steered the littlefishing tug alongside the

stranded ship and rescued the entire crewof 17 men. The crew of the Minch and theDavock were no so fortunate. By Craig Rich

Underwater photos above and opposite page:On September 13, 2009, Jack van Heest (above)and Valerie van Heest dived on the wreck of theNovadoc. These images by Valerie show the wreckin its glory: sunshine, and great visibility. It rests inonly 15 feet of water and divers can clearly seedune riders at Silver Lake Beach State Park fromthe mooring on the wreck.

TTTTThe Armistice Day storm of November 11,1940 that claimed the Anna C. Minch andthe William B. Davock also took with it the253-foot steel freighter Novadoc. The vesselhad been built in 1928 at Wallsend-on-Tyne,Great Britain by Swan, Hunter & WighamRichardson, Ltd. At the time of her loss, shewas owned by Paterson Steamships, Ltd.of Fort William, Ontario, Canada and hadbeen bound from Chicago for Port Alfred,Quebec. Captain Steip stayed close to theeastern shore of Lake Michigan since thewind was southeast, hoping to enjoy the “lee”of the land. But the windshifted to the southwestand began to increasedramatically.As he attempted to turnshe huge freighter intothe wind, it becametrapped in the trough ofthe sea and began toroll. Waves beganwashing over her decksas the crew peered outtoward shore, barelyable to make out theLittle Sable Pointlighthouse high atop adesolate beach inOceana County.

As the great vessel wallowed in thewaves her pilothouse windows were smashedout and she began taking on water. TheNovadoc ran aground at about 7 pm thatMonday evening, immediately breaking inhalf, severing all electric lines, andsubmerging both halves of the ship in thesand. Waves continued to batter the shipand soak the crew.

Most of the crew spent the nightPlease consider supporting MSRA by or-dering your copy from the MSRA websiteat www.michiganshipwrecks.org

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The Anna MinchThe Anna MinchThe Anna MinchThe Anna MinchThe Anna Minch

Underwater Photos:On September 13, 2009, Jack van Heest(above) and Valerie van Heest dived onthe wreck of the Novadoc. These imagesshow the wreck in its glory: sunshine, and great

Despite being trapped in the frigid, battered hull of their vesselfor two days, the crewmen of the Novadoc were fortunate. Asthey warmed themselves with rum in the Coast Guard stationafter their rescue, frozen bodies began washing ashore atPentwater, evidence that none of the Anna C. Minch’s 24 orWilliam B. Davock’s 43 crewmen survived.

Initial speculation that the Minch and Davock collidedspawned a seven-decade-long controversy. Clyde Cross ofthe Three Brothers located the submerged hull of the Minchwhen the storm abated. The tip of its mast protruded abovethe lake’s surface where the 380-foot vessel had gone downin 35-feet of water a mile from the Pentwater channel. TheSarnia Steamship Company, owners of the Canadian Minch,hired a hard-hat diver to assess whether it might be raised.The diver’s report of finding the ship in two pieces with agash in the bow eliminated the possibility of salvage andfueled the collision theory. Only the wreck of the Davockcould offer proof, but authorities could not locate it.

Thirty-two years would pass before the Davock wouldbe found. Chicago diver John Steele located the wreck upside-down, 210-feet deep, about eight miles southwest of theMinch. Initial dives on this deep and dangerous wreck in 1972revealed no obvious collision damage, but Steele found therudder hard-to-port. Recent effort by maritime historianBrendon Baillod, who compiled evidentiary accounts fromlocal divers, has provided the most plausible explanation forthe loss of both ships.

Upon closer inspection, divers found the Davock’srudder chains broken. Unable to be steered, the vessel wouldhave undoubtedly rotated sideways to the waves and capsizedsoon thereafter. Its overturned condition, miles from the Minchsupports that theory. Divers also closely inspected bothsections of the Minch, finding the anchors set as if to preventbeing pushed into shore. Oddly, the stern is farther offshorethan the bow, providing Baillod evidence to deduce how theMinch actually split in two: In addition to setting the anchors,the Captain would have kept up steam in the boilers tomaintain some forward momentum and attempt to preventthe anchors from dragging. However, the waves grew tooviolent, and slammed the Minch backwards onto the sandbar, upending the stern and tearing it off. With the enginestill operating, the stern would have plowed forward, perhapscolliding with the bow and gashing it, before the incomingwater sank both halves of the boat.

The wrecks of the Novadoc, Minch and Davock allrest within a few miles of each otherand are forever linked by one fatefulday. The Novadoc disaster is welldocumented by survivors andwitnesses, but it has takenhistorians and divers sevendecades to speak for the sixty-seven Minch and Davock crewmenwho never made it home to tell theirtales. By Valerie van Heest as appeared inJuly/Aug Michigan History MagazineUnderwater Photo at Right:In 2008 Valerie and Jack van Heest tooktheir boat to Pentwater where RossRichardson joined them to dive the AnnaMinch. This photo by Valerie shows Rossexploring the wreck.

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The only other shipwreck discovery onthe Great Lakes that could supercedethe Ontario as the oldest, would be theFrench sailing vessel Griffon lost in1679. Explorers have claimed to havefound the vessel in Michigan waters ofNorthern Lake Michigan, however overthe last many years they have shownno proof of identity and have not con-vinced historians they have even founda shipwreck. In recent weeks a courtbattle has played out in Grand RapidsFederal Court and Fox 17 reporter DanKrauth interviewed Van Heest for a Sep-tember 22 story he did on the subject.The following is excerpted from his news-cast:

It’s a 21st century battle over aship that disappeared more than 300 yearsago. The questions of whethera diver has found the wreck ofthe Griffon and who owns it willbe settled in a Grand Rapidscourtroom. They call the Grif-fon the “Holy Grail” of GreatLakes shipwrecks, and a diverfrom Virginia claims he hasfound it. The Griffon went downin Lake Michigan more thanthree centuries ago. Built bythe French explorer La Salle inhis quest to find the NorthwestPassage to China, it is consid-ered the first commercial ship-wreck in the Great Lakes. His-torians believe it sank in a stormsomewhere in northern Lake Michigan.

A diver from Virginia named SteveLibert claims that after twenty six years ofsearching he found the ship in 2001 andthat a piece of wood he videotaped stickingup from the bottom of the lake is part of it.

“If this is the Griffon, this is go-ing to be one hell of a major thing for allunderwater archaeologists around theworld,” said Libert. But here’s the prob-lem. Who owns the wreckage? Thediver, the State of Michigan, the federalgovernment, or the country of France?They all want rights to the Griffon, andthey’re all fighting about it in court. Afterfive years of legal battles, the caseended up in Federal court in Grand Rap-ids. The court must try to determinewhether Libert has the right to the wreckand be allowed to obtain permits to godown and explore it. It has been a longand expensive fight over wreckage ev-eryone wants but some divers don’t be-lieve is the real thing.

“I “I “I “I “In more than two-centuries, the wreck of the British22-gun warship HMS Ontario, lost on Halloween night in 1780in Lake Ontario, has NEVER been found”. This statement,from an article I wrote called Navigating through History, inthe April-June issue of the Great Laker was prophetically ren-dered untrue just one week after going to print.

Early in June 2008, two explorers, Jim Kennard and DanScoville, discovered one of the Great Lakes’ oldest, mostsignificant, and incomprehensibly intact shipwrecks. The HMSOntario, an unusual brig-sloop rig of English design, set sailfrom Niagara, NY captained by James Andrews. The outgo-ing commander of Fort Niagara, Col. William Bolton, had inhis charge 88 British subjects plus, by some counts, thirtyAmerican prisoners. While sailing east to pick up a detach-ment of soldiers in Oswego, then head for Fort Haldimand in

the St. Lawrence River, a violent gale erupted. In the days that followed, debris and bodiesdrifted ashore in the area that is known today as Golden Hill State Park, thirty miles eastof Fort Niagara. That was the last anyone ever saw of the ship or its troops… until now!

I became fascinated with the story of the Ontario as I did my research for that firstarticle. For insight into the mystery of its sinking, I contacted Jim Kennard, a 64-year olddiver and retired Kodak engineer who has discovered over 200 shipwrecks. My first ques-tion was, “have you ever searched for the Ontario?” As the only British warship sunk infreshwater, this would be an extremely significant find, even if it was just a few timbers inshallow water. “I did a lot of looking in the 70s,” he told me, “but it was like the proverbialneedle in a haystack.” Six years ago Jim began a partnership with Dan Scoville, a 35-year old electrical engineer and diver. Together they assembled the necessary side-scansonar equipment, and carved out time to go hunting for Lake Ontario’s most notableshipwrecks. They were successful; in just five years, they uncovered six intact historicvessels including the schooners Milan, and Orcadian lost mid 19th century and the steamerHomer Warren, sunk in 1919, all in deep, but diveable waters. However, the Ontario wasstill out there. Because it was likely in water too deep for even these intrepid explorers,they decided to forego their dive gear for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film theirdiscoveries. This meant they could move their search into deeper waters.

Our conversations during the winter of 2008 about the famed Ontario reignitedJim’s interest in finding this enigmatic shipwreck. Jim and Dan had already covered al-most 200 square miles in pursuit of another shipwreck lost in an area between the NiagaraRiver and Rochester, NY and realized they were narrowing in on the Ontario as well. Aprilweather was good this year and they hoped they could cover more territory in a focused

HMS Ontario DiscoveryHMS Ontario DiscoveryHMS Ontario DiscoveryHMS Ontario DiscoveryHMS Ontario Discovery

Griffon Discovered?Griffon Discovered?Griffon Discovered?Griffon Discovered?Griffon Discovered?

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effort to achieve their biggest goal. But they never imagined it wouldhappen on their fourth day out! While the side-scan image provided a silhouette-type view ofa 2-masted sailing ship in waters nearing 500-feet, it did not offer enough data for a positiveidentification. For that, they would need to senddown the ROV. On June 8, 2008, twoweeks after their discovery when the lake waswhisper calm, they headed out to the site. Asthey maneuvered the ROV in the deep, dark wa-ter, the first image that came into view was a largeyawl boat that had been tethered to the stern ofthe ship. Then as the ROV neared the stern, theysaw the rudder and pivoted the camera upwardsto see the defining image. Dan let out a quietgasp as he saw the starboard quarter-gallery, anoverhanging balcony-type structure unique to thisBritish-designed ship, where the officers’ quarterswere located. “There was no whooping or hollering,”Jim recalled. “It was actually a solemn moment.”They both realized they had found a war grave.This could only be the Ontario.

Construction of the HMS Ontario be-gan in 1779 at Carleton Island Shipyard locatedeast of Kingston on the St. Lawrence River. TheBritish, anticipating an American attack onMontreal via the Mohawk and St. Lawrence riv-ers, designed what would be at the time thelargest and most powerful vessel on the GreatLakes, but it would never see battle.

Dan guided the ROV along the rail to-wards the bow, where he filmed the anchorsand two cannons, then located the base of theforward mast. Jim and Dan stared at the moni-tor, as Dan piloted the ROV up the mast. Withinminutes they saw a rare site: an intact crows’nest. While filming the second mast, they con-firmed another identifying feature; few other Lakevessels were outfitted with double crow’s nests.

The wreck of the Ontario is best de-scribed with superlatives. It is the oldest ship-wreck discovered in the Great Lakes and it isthe only intact British warship in the GreatLakes. It sank 33 years before the Americanwarships Hamilton and Scourge, lost during theWar of 1812 and found in Lake Ontario in 1973. Although it has beenunderwater for over two centuries, The Ontario is so intact it appearsthat if raised to the surface, it could sail again. The brig-sloop leanstowards the port side, but the masts remain rigid in their steps. “Usu-ally when ships go down in big storms, they get beat up. This wentdown in a huge storm, and it still managed to stay intact,” Scovillesaid. “There are even two windows that aren’t broken.” The explorersalso filmed more cannons and the ship’s bell. A portion of the bow-sprit remains and just below it there is a beautifully carved scroll bowstem.

So we wait with bated breath to learn more about the loss ofthis famous ship. Jim Kennard will travel to Holland in the spring of2010 to share the story of this historic vessel with MSRA and ourmembers at the 12th annual Mysteries and Histories Beneath theInland Seas. Stay tuned for more information. By Valerie van Heest as it originally

appeared in the July-September issue of the Great Laker Magazine

Painting Opposite Page:Launched in May 1780, the HMS (His Majesty’sService) Ontario was an 80-foot long, 22 gun,226-ton two-masted sloop-of-war, but it neversaw battle. The ship was initially used to ferrytroops, supplies and prisoners from town totown along the southern shore of Lake Ontario.It did not survive the 100- mile journey toOswego when gale force winds pounded thelake. According to Kennard and Scoville, it wasvery far offshore near the Canadian border,when it was swallowed by the storm. They willnot disclose the coordinates in order to protectthe site. Painting by Peter Rindlisbacherfrom the cover of the book, LEGEND OFTHE LAKE, by Arthur Britton Smith.

Photo of Explorers Opposite Page:In 2005, Dan Scoville (left) led the developmentof an ROV with a team of college seniors fromthe Rochester Institute of Technology. Withremovable video cameras, four high-intensitylamps, a navigational compass, and depthsensors, Dan’s design was so successful thathe was hired by HydroAcoustics Inc. tomanufacture and market his ROV. This piece ofequipment allowed Scoville and Jim Kennard(right) to document the Ontario. Courtesy ofJim Kennard and Dan Scoville

Underwater Images Left:The Rov captured 80 minutes of video duringthe survey. These video captures indicate thekey features that helped identify the ship. (Fromupper left corner) The seven stern windows,overhanging quarter-galleries, double crows-nests and scroll figurehead were unique to thisship. The proliferation of artifacts like thecannon at the bow and a rail of deadeyes isconvincing evidence that Dan and Jim were thefirst explorers to find and film this wreck. If ithad been found decades ago, like severalpeople claimed, these artifacts would likely notstill remain on the wreck. Even at this extremedepth, Zebra and/or quagga mussels cover thewreck. Images by Dan Scoville and JimKennard.

Save the DateSave the DateSave the DateSave the DateSave the DateMSRA/Joint Archives Annual

Mysteries and Histories Beneaththe Inland Seas

Saturday April 24, 2010Tentative Date

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Shallow Water WrecksShallow Water WrecksShallow Water WrecksShallow Water WrecksShallow Water WrecksExploring a Pentwater Wreck

DDDDDuring the summer of 2009, MSRA was contacted by two different lake front vacation-ers in Pentwater regarding the remains of a vessel in shallow water. Jack van and Valerievan Heest traveled to the site of the wreck on September 12, 2009 to document theremains, which rest near shore just a quarter mile south of the Pentwater channel. In onlysix feet of water, scuba gear was hardly necessary. They measured the wreck at 65-feetlong, and like most shallow wrecks, only the keelson and frames (spine and ribs) re-mained.

Several schooner wrecked off Pentwater over the years and MSRA turned to areaexpert Brendon Baillod, who is writing a book, Shipwreck of Oceana County, to help

identify the vessel.While many candidate vessels wrecked

near the mouth of the channel, the smallestwas the Roanoke, and until further evidenceappears, Baillod believes the wreck mightbe the Roanoke of which he writes:The 92-foot 2-masted schooner Roanokewas lost in a severe gale at Pentwater onOctober 27, 1866 while bound for Chicagowith a cargo of lumber. Her owner and Cap-tain, Harrison Fellows of Racine was at thehelm when she was struck by a rogue windthat laid her on her beam ends. Unable to

right herself, the schooner was blown aground near Pentwater and quickly broken up bythe pounding surf. The Captain and crew were able to swim to shore, but the old vesselproved a total loss.

The Roanoke had been built 23 years earlier at Euclid, Ohio by William Treat forN.C. Winslow & Richard Winslow of Cleveland, Ohio, and was brought out under CaptainH.W. Seymour.

She was initially used in the grain trade and was a common visitor to Lake Michi-gan, making her first call at Milwaukee in 1844. On May 14, 1845, she was sold toowners in Chicago and continued to sail out of Chicago throughout the 1850s. The Roanokewas nearly lost in a serious stranding at Muskegon in 1854 that took the lives of four of hercrew. She was recovered and by 1860 was worth only $1200 with her hull classed at onlyC2. On May 28, 1861, she was sold by her owner James Dutton of Chicago to parties inMilwaukee who ran her in the Lake Michigan lumber trade. By 1861, the Roanoke was inpoor shape and was dropped from insurance registers. She was subsequently rebuilt atMilwaukee by the Ellsworth & Davidson Shipyard in 1864 and received additional repairsin 1865. The Roanoke was last enrolled at the Port of Milwaukee Customs House onMarch 15, 1866 and despite her age, was considered to be in fair shape at the time of herloss. By Brendon Baillod.

Drawing of City of Green Bay shipwreck:Valerie van Heest prepared the drawing of thewreck in 1996 with the help of volunteers with theSouthwest Michigan Underwater Preserve.

Photomosaic of Pentwater shipwreck:Valerie van Heest shot images of the wreck fromthe surface and digitally combined them into thissimple composite image.

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Exploring the City of Green Bay

IIIIIn July 2009, Valerie van Heest led a groupof children ranging in ages from 6 to 12 on anexploration of the wreck of the City of GreenBay off Deerlick Park south of South Haven.The group included their own daughters Cellaand Taya, and MSRA member families, theHoekstras and Crawfords. Gathering the kidsin the parking lot, Valerie shared the story ofthe 1887 sinking of the vessel through historicphotos and news accounts. Then the groupsuited-up and prepared for the walk and swimout to the wreck. At the beach, they venturedout into the water and began wading out past arock abutment. This is the perfect shore wreckto visit as it can be reached via a public beachwithout walking on private property.

The wreck appeared as a dark shapein the water. Kids used masks and snorkels toview the wreck and took turns breathing off asmall scuba tank to experience a longer andmore detailed look from the surface. Everyoneexpressed amazement at seeing history with their own eyes.

You can read the account of the sinking from an 1887 news-paper, The Weekly Wisconsin , at the right. Photos by Jack van Heest

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MSRA Board of Directors

Valerie Olson van HeestGeoffrey ReynoldsCraig RichRoss RichardsonJack van Heest

Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates, is aMichigan 501(c) 3 nonprofi t corporation, whosemission is to Preserve Michigan’s submergedmaritime history. To that end, the organization’s workincludes research, exploration, documentation andeducation regarding historic shipwrecks within Michiganwaters, with an initial emphasis on the area off WestMichigan. MSRA works in cooperation with StateAgencies. As a Hol land-based volunteer-dr ivenorganizat ion, MSRA rel ies on memberships,fundraising events and grants to continue its work.

1134 Goodwood CourtHolland, Michigan 49424

www.michiganshipwrecks.org

Associates

William Lafferty, Ph.D.Director of Research

Arthur AllenOceanographer, U.S.C.G.

Brendon BaillodHistorian/Writer

Jed JaworskiMaritime Historian

Dr. Guy MeadowsUniversity of Michigan

Kenneth PottMaritime Archaeologist

Dr. David SchwabOceanographer, GLERL

MSRA is funded in part by an annual grant fromthe Great Lakes Shipwreck Research

About 25 miles off shore in 275 feet of waterlays the remains of a three-masted schoo-ner, Hattie Wells which sank in 1912. Thisvessel was high on the list of wrecks thatMSRA expected would be found by theNUMA team while scouring the lake bottomoff South Haven. Todd White, Bob Underhilland Jeff Vos dived on the wreck early in theseason. Jack and Valerie van Heest recordedtheir return to the surface with their positiveidentification of the wreck after over 90 min-utes underwater. Only one dive was madeas MSRA chose to focus the season’s workon documenting the third new wreck, a smallschooner, as well as the “flat wreck” foundlast year by the NUMA team.

The small schooner discovered byNUMA lays 35 miles southwest of SouthHaven in 200-feet of water. Ralph Wilbanksknew from the side scan that it was a 60-foot schooner. Only two 60-foot schooners(that we know of) were lost off West Michi-gan: The William Tell, lost to fire in 1869and the A.P. Dutton, lost to storm in 1868.Valerie and Jack van Heest, White, Underhill

and Vos made the initial dive onthe wreck in June. It was imme-diately apparent that the wreckwas the William Tell, as the tim-bers had burned down to the lineof the cargo hold. A white sub-stance was still mounded withinthe exposed hold. In the days fol-lowing the dive, Valerie Van Heestapplied for a permit to remove

some of the white material from the wreckso that it could be tested for a positive ID.The team returned to the wreck upon receiptof the permit to collect some cargo. Thechemistry department at Hope College willdo the lab work needed to positively identifythe lime in late October.

The near certainty of this wreck be-ing the Tell, prompted MSRA to return to the“flat wreck” found last year, which also mea-sured 60 feet, although so little remains ofthe ship that MSRA was not even certainwhat type of vessel it was. Dives in Augustand September convinced the team the ves-sel was a schooner. The possibility existsthat the wreck is the A. P. Dutton, althoughnothing could provide a positive ID. Whilethe size points to the Dutton, the team real-izes this may have been a purposeful scuttleor a 60-foot schooner that we are not awareof that had been lost. Confirmation of the“flat wreck” will likely never be possible, butto know it is a schooner has been an impor-tant determination. By Valerie van Heest

MSRA is funded in part by an annual grant from theGreat Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, a Wisconsin 501c3

founded by Kimm Stabelfeldt, Brad Friend and Jon Albrecht

Images:Valerie van Heest’s image of the “flat wreck” (aboveleft) shows how little remains of the vessel. BobUnderhill’s photos (in this column) details the rail,bow stem and a cat-head, which indicate the vesselis a schooner. The article (above) is from an Au-gust 1869 issue of the St. Joseph Herald and de-tails the loss of the Tell.

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