#ironton

A new discovery has been made in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary!

Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. The shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-foot Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing.

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Wreck of the schooner barge Ironton, 1894, Lake Huron, off the Michigan coast

In late September 1894, the schooner barge Ironton was traveling light from Cleveland to Marquette and under tow by the steamer Kershaw along with schooner barge Moonlight. The wooden freighter Ohio was steaming from Duluth to Ogdensburg, New York loaded with a cargo of grain. The three ships were heading north when they encountered Ohio in rough conditions, 10 miles north of Presque Isle. It was during this critical moment, with the vessels about to pass each other, that Ironton's towline parted.