Shipwreck hunters find steamer that went missing in 1909 on Lake Superior

Matt Jaworowski
·3 min read

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has found another ship that infamously “went missing” on Lake Superior.

Hunters announced Wednesday that the Adella Shores has been found more than 110 years after it was lost.

The 195-foot wooden steamer is approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point and 650 feet below the surface.

An undated photo of the Adella Shores loaded with lumber. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
An undated photo of the Adella Shores loaded with lumber. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)

Some legends say the ship carried some bad luck from the start of its life. According to the GLSHS, the Adella Shores was owned by the Shores Lumber Company, a family that abstained from alcohol. When christening the new ship, the family broke tradition and used a bottle of water instead of champagne or wine, allegedly giving the ship a bad omen. The ship sank twice in shallow waters over its first 15 years before being refloated and returned to service.

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But the Adella Shores never returned after departing for Duluth on April 29, 1909. The GLSHS says the ship was following the larger Daniel J. Morrell through a thick ice flow while they rounded Whitefish Point. The Shores was reportedly two miles behind and out of sight when a sharp gale swept in.

The Adella Shores was never seen again, and all 14 crew members were lost. Some debris from the ship was eventually found, but no bodies were recovered.

  • Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
    Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
  • Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
    Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
  • Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
    Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
  • Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)
    Shipwreck hunters with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have found the Adella Shores approximately 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)

Darryl Ertel, the GLSHS Director of Marine Operations, was “running grids” out on Lake Superior in 2021 when side-scan sonar picked up a target.

“I pretty much knew that had to be the Adella Shores when I measured the length of it, because there were no other ships out there missing in that size range,” Ertel said in a news release. “As soon as I put to ROV down on it for the first time, I could see the design of the ship and I could match it right up to the Adella Shores.”

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Corey Adkins, the Communications Director for the GLSHS, says the Adella Shores is another chapter in the Great Lakes turbulent history.

“Every one of those stories is important and deserves to be told with the utmost honor and respect,” Adkins said in a statement. “GLSHS has had some banner years of discovery … and a lot of research goes into each press release, ensuring that we tell the story accurately.”

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