Historic photo of the Western Reserve steel steamer ship provided by the Great lakes Shipwreck Historical Society
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Society discovers a steel steamer 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society recently announced the discovery of the Western Reserve steamer ship approximately 300 feet below Lake Superior’s surface. The Shipwreck Society discovered the vessel using Marine Sonar Technology aboard the non-profit’s research vessel David Boyd. The Western Reserve was first founded in the summer of 2024. Subsequent Remote dives confirmed the identity of the shipwreck and revealed a ship broken in two with the stern approximately 600 feet below the surface.
Darryl Ertel, Director of Marine Operations, says the Western Reserve was caught in a storm far from shore when it went down. While active the ship was one of the first all-steel vessels on the Great Lakes and was built as a cargo ship. At the time of the Western Reserve’s launch, it was called the inland greyhound. The ship was owned by Captain Peter G. Minch.
On a voyage, traveling from Lake Huron to Two Harbors Minnesota, Minch and his family were aboard the Western Reserve when it reached Whitefish Point. By the time the ship reached Whitefish Point pristine weather turned into a storm. The crew dropped anchor in Whitefish Bay to wait out the storm. However, a gale would go on to overturn the vessel around 9 pm on August 30th, 1892. Two lifeboats were launched immediately. One carrying the Minch family another, that turned over in the rush to leave the Western Reserve, filled with crew members.
The Minch family and the remaining crew in the single lifeboat spent 10 hours in the storm before rescue efforts were launched. The lifeboat overturned in the breakers near the Deer Park Life Saving station. Only the wheelsman, Harry Stewart, survived the incident. Those interested in learning more about the Great Lakes shipwreck historical society’s discovery of the Western Reserve steel steamer ship can find more here.
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