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People knew that the Manasoo liner had sank somewhere in Georgian Bay more than 90 years ago, but its wreckage has only recently been discovered by divers amazed by its preservation.
During the summer, Windsor, Ont. Sinking researcher Cris Kohl and a crew of American shipwreckers discovered the steamer, 60 meters underwater, just off Griffith Island, Ontario. in Georgian Bay.
The icy waters can greatly reduce decomposition and have probably helped to keep it in "excellent condition" after the sinking of September 15, 1928.
"We have the best preserved shipwrecks in the world in the fresh and cold waters of the Great Lakes," he told CTV News Channel, saying it was probably intact because of its robust structure. The ship was built in Scotland in 1888.
As the stern of the steel ship sank first, the front end still hangs at the bottom of the lake, which, according to Kohl, has made it a rather special sinking.
When the divers found the ship on June 30, Kohl's crew also discovered a 1927 Chevrolet coupe still parked indoors.
"I do not know of any other shipwreck in Lake Huron that has that," Kohl said.
He explained that the rare find had belonged to one of the passengers of the ship that had eventually survived the sinking.
Kohl says that in the middle of the night of September 15, 1927, the crew had noticed that the stern was sinking slowly while the ship was out at sea. Kohl assumes that there was an open door or a hatch in the stern, which allowed the water to rush.
It was then that the captain of the ship, John McKay, attempted to direct the ship to a nearby island. He sank before he could land.
According to CTV London, only five of the 21 passengers survived that night. About 100 cattle on board also fell with the ship.
"Another peculiarity of this sinking is that the cockpit is intact," said Kohl, explaining that the cabin is usually destroyed as the ship sinks.
"A huge wooden boat wheel remains in place," added Kohl.
The name of the ship was changed several months before the sinking when it changed ownership. This old sailor superstition has probably fueled the superstition of sailors, suggesting that it is unlucky for anyone to change the name of a ship.
"For the first 39 years out of 40, this ship was named Macassa," said Kohl, explaining that after the name change, he "did not even survive the first season".
"So, I guess there is truth in this superstition," he joked.
He explained that the name "Manasoo" was a mixture of "man" taken from Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario and "Soo" from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – both ports would have been served.
The last few summers have been successful for Kohl and his team.
The group of wreck hunters did not only find the wreck of JH Jones the day after the discovery of the Manasoo, but the year before they also found the wreckage from Jane Miller.
"We've been busy, but we've been very lucky – we do not usually find shipwrecks one after the other," Kohl told CTV London.
This is because Kohl suspects 7,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, but only about 2,000 have been discovered.
With a CTV London report
(Photo courtesy of Ken Merryman, Jerry Eliason and Cris Kohl)
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