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Shipwreck Society Discovers a WWI-Era Steel Bulk Freighter

By January 15, 2024No Comments

Photo Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck historical society

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) has discovered the steel bulk freighter Huronton 100 years after sinking more than 800 feet to the bottom of Lake Superior.

On October 11, 1923, the 238-foot-long Huronton collided with the 416-foot-long bulk freighter Cetus. The bow of the Cetus ripped a huge hole in the port side of the Huronton, momentarily locking the two ships together. The entire crew of Huronton was able to board the Cetus before the ship sank.

“Finding any shipwreck is exciting. But to think that we’re the first human eyes to look at this vessel 100 years after it sank, not many people have the opportunity to do that,” says GLSHS Executive Director Bruce Lynn. “I think about some of the more interesting aspects of what we do as an organization, but the searching for, discovery and documentation of shipwrecks — especially if it’s a vessel that sank 100 years ago — is pretty exciting because it’s truly a part of our past.”

Visit shipwreckmuseum.com.