Wreck of ship that sank just miles from harbour with ‘faithful dog’ on board found after 130yrs of boats passing above
A FAMOUS shipwreck has finally been discovered 130 years after sinking beneath Lake Michigan with the Captain’s dog onboard.
The Margaret A. Muir was miraculously found 50ft below the surface – several miles off the coast of Algoma, Wisconsin.
The wreck had remained undetected for over a century, until the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association came across its remains accidentally in May.
The boat was found only a few miles off the Algoma Harbour entrance – where hundreds of boats pass over each year.
All the deck gear, including two giant anchors, hand pumps and bow windlass have remarkably remained at the wreck.
Images show the amazing 130ft collapsed three-masted schooner’s deck with its sides facing outwards.
Historian Brendon Baillod referred to the remains being found deconstructed as “filet of schooner.”
He said to CNN Travel: “This is almost like somebody architecturally dismantled it to show you exactly how it was built.”
Personal items that the sailors lost over a century ago also were found at the amazing wreck.
On September 30 1893, the vessel was en route from Bay City, Michigan to South Chicago, Illinois, carrying cargo of bulk salt.
The ship had almost reached ‘Ahnapee’ – now known as Algoma – when an intense storm came.
Captain David Clow gave the order to sailors to abandon the ship and get to safety, while the Margaret A. Muir tragically sank to the bottom of the lake.
But one crew mate sadly didn’t make it – Captain Clow’s loyal dog.
At the time, after the dog and boat disappeared to the bottom of the seabed, Captain Clow expressed his deep sadness from losing his pet.
According to WUAA, he said: “I would rather lose any sum of money than to have the brute perish as he did.”
Captain Clow also described his beloved dog as “an intelligent and faithful animal, and a great favourite with captain and crew.”
The crew of six managed to make their way through 15ft seas in a lifeboat and get to shore safely.
The WUAA say they nearly missed the iconic wreck when scouring the seabed in May.
The team were reportedly completing their last pass as part of their search for the schooner for the day and were retrieving their sonar equipment when they extraordinarily ran over the wreck.
The organisation is now working with the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Archaeology Program with the intention of adding the shipwreck to the National Register of Historic Places.