Photo Courtesy of GLSHS
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) has announced the discovery of the long-missing tugboat Satellite, which sank in Lake Superior in 1879 in less than 300 feet of water.
According to GLSHS, on June 21, 1879, Satellite had four barges in tow when she ran into difficulties. One account suggests that the boat suffered a mechanical problem, while another says that she struck a floating log and started taking on water. There was no loss of life.
In the summer of 2022, Josh Gates of Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” traveled to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point to do a show on the missing 1918 French minesweepers. Gates joined the Shipwreck Society’s crew aboard the R/V David Boyd to identify a submerged wreck. GLSHS Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel put the society’s remotely operated vehicle down on the target, and ascertained that it was not a minesweeper, but rather Satellite. The minesweepers are made of steel while Satellite was a wooden-hulled vessel.
Visit shipwreckmuseum.com for more information.
