Explorers discover steamship that sank near Holland in 1886
HOLLAND — A team of explorers recently discovered a ship that sank 138 years ago near Holland.
Explorers from the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association discovered the remains of the Milwaukee, a steamship that sank in 1886 after a collision on Lake Michigan about 40 miles from Holland. It was found under 360 feet of water.
The explorers announced their discovery of the "remarkably intact steamship" to a live audience of 300+ people at the Knickerbocker Theater in Holland at their annual film festival, according to a news release. Valerie and Jack van Heest coordinated the search effort.
“This marks the 19th shipwreck our team has found off the shores of West Michigan,” Valerie van Heest said.
MSRA discovered the Milwaukee last June using side-scan sonar, according to the release. Crews documented the wreck using a remote operated vehicle (ROV) assembled specifically for the project by Jack van Heest, the team’s engineer.
The Milwaukee had a career that spanned 18 years, according to the MSRA. It was commissioned by the Northern Transportation Company of Ohio in 1868 to carry passengers and goods westward from the terminus of the Northern Railroad line at Ogdensburg, New York, to Chicago — stopping several times along the way. The ship was 135 feet long with three decks (two for freight and one for passengers). It operated on four of the five Great Lakes for more than a decade.
W.W. Ellsworth, an agent for NTC, purchased the Milwaukee and oversaw its conversion in 1881 at Port Huron, according to the release. Ellsworth later sold the ship, which started a new career carrying cargo on Lake Michigan.
In July 1886 — amid fog — a nearly identical ship called the C. Hickox struck the side of the Milwaukee, which sank after two hours. Everyone on the Milwaukee safely boarded the Hickox. Captain Armstrong of the Milwaukee and Captain O’Day of the Hickox lost their licenses for a period because neither slowed down as expected.
“News accounts of the accident, as well as the study of water currents, led us to the Milwaukee after only two days searching,” said Neel Zoss, who spotted the telltale image on the side scan sonar.
Jack, who piloted the ROV, described the visibility as “excellent.”
“We saw the forward mast still standing as the ROV headed down to the bottom,” he said.
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The ship rests upright facing northeast as it was traveling that night in 1886, according to the release.
Valerie noted “the pilothouse on the wreck looks nothing like the octagonal pilothouse in this historic photo.”
“In studying the video, we realized that Lyman Gates Mason, who owned the Milwaukee, had made both the pilothouse and the aft cabin smaller in order to maximize the amount of lumber the ship could carry on each run,” said Craig Rich, a member of the team.
The team noted the discovery of the Milwaukee was important because it provides information about the ship for which no other records exist.
"Slowing down in the face of danger may be the most important lesson this shipwreck can teach," according to the MRSA.
Learn more at michiganshipwrecks.org.
— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@sentinel-standard.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Explorers discover steamship that sank near Holland in 1886
