LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — A portion of a shipwreck was recently discovered on a Lake Michigan beach near Ludington State Park and historians are working to identify the wreckage.
The fragment was revealed by waves amid high water levels on the Great Lakes. It was spotted by people walking on the beach, the Ludington Daily News reported.
Officials with the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum say the remains are consistent with schooners built between the 1850s and 1880s. They are working with the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association to determine the origin of the fragment, MLive.com reported.
Researchers from the museum have identified five possible vessels the wreckage could be from: the 1841 J.B. Skinner, the 1852 Eclipse, the 1862 Orphan Boy, the 1863 J.O. Moss or the 1875 Frank Canfield.
The fragment measures 32 feet by 8 feet (9.8 meters by 2.4 meters) and consists of 15 “ribs” with planking on both sides. According to the museum, a large wooden windlass — a type of winch — that staff from Ludington State Park found a few years ago may also be from the same wreck.
In a photo from April 27, 2020, a relic washes up on shore near Ludington State Park in Ludington, Mich. When conditions are favorable, certain relics of a bygone era emerge from the sand. Several locals walking on the beach spotted the fragment of a shipwreck and promptly called the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, according to Valerie van Heest, a board director of the MSRA. The MSRA is a non-profit organization that researches, explores, documents and interprets shipwrecks in Michigan. (Steve Begnoche Photography/Ludington Daily News via AP)
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API key not valid. Please pass a valid API key.Featured image: In a photo from April 27, 2020, a relic washes up on shore near Ludington State Park in Ludington, Mich. When conditions are favorable, certain relics of a bygone era emerge from the sand. Several locals walking on the beach spotted the fragment of a shipwreck and promptly called the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, according to Valerie van Heest, a board director of the MSRA. The MSRA is a non-profit organization that researches, explores, documents and interprets shipwrecks in Michigan. (Steve Begnoche Photography/Ludington Daily News via AP)
