Tragedy struck Lake Huron and the crew of a schooner barge, Ironton, and the Steamer Ohio which collided back in the early days of September 1894. The accident took place on the infamous Shipwreck Alley and its whereabouts remained hidden underneath one of the Great Lakes of the country, until a recent discovery by NOAA and other collaborators using its ocean mapping technology.
Through this tech, the team was able to pinpoint where the Ironton is, sitting intact and preserved underneath Lake Huron when it sank almost 130 years ago.
Lake Huron Shipwreck of Ironton, Now Discovered by NOAA
NOAA researchers, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust recently discovered the decade-old shipwreck over at Lake Huron, with the Ironton schooner still in its preserved, intact condition. According to a press release by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the team located the ship within its Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
The 191-foot sunken ship still has its three masts standing tall and intact in its body, preserved by the fresh cold water of Lake Huron which helped its current state.
The Ironton was reported to collide with the Steamer Ohio back on September 26 at 12:30 a.m., when the Ironton was dropped from its tow and used the wind's power to sail. By the time it spotted the steamer, it was too late as the collision was imminent.
Ocean Mapping Technology Found a Long-lost Ship
The team of researchers used the NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's RV Storm to map the lakebed using its ocean mapping technology to search for the ship. The team also used its BEN (Bathymetric Explorer and Navigator).
The team first sent an underwater robot which it remotely controlled to look into the identified ship, later confirming that it was the Ironton.
Ocean Technology and Underwater Discoveries
The oceans, seas, and other bodies of water are known for their notorious situations which are mostly unpredictable, as at one time, a tide would be calm, but will immediately shift to a violent one. Many lives and vessels were lost in different water bodies, and researchers have recently developed many techs including AI to search for shipwrecks and underwater discoveries.
Not all underwater missions and searches are centering on looking for shipwrecks or treasures from underneath the surface, as there are also other sights to see underneath. There was one research where a submarine expedition explored the Maldives from underneath, seeing a unique ecosystem thriving under the sea, a first in the world.
It certainly is a challenge to look for ships or items underneath, especially as humans are not meant for going underwater for a long time, especially in sweeping the bottom of lakes for past accidents. Here is where technology gives researchers an edge in rediscovering the past and uncovering a significant phenomenon, like the long-lost Ironton, now located.
