Adella Shores Shipwreck Found

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the discovery of historic shipwreck Adella Shores near Whitefish Point, Michigan. The 195-foot wooden steamer went missing on May 1, 1909 while bound for Duluth, Minnesota with a load of salt on board. She was following steel steamship Daniel J. Morrell through a thick ice flow when she disappeared with all 14 crew members.

In the summer of 2021, GLSHS Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel and his brother Dan were running a Marine Sonic Technology side-scan system in grids when they found a target off Whitefish Point.

“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,” explains Ertel. “As soon as I put the 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.”

“Not only is she a member of the “Went Missing” club… those ships on the Great Lakes that disappeared with all hands… decades later, to be discovered. She still tells a very poignant and fascinating story,” adds maritime historian and author of “Went Missing”, Fred Stonehouse. “The folks that are out there actively hunting for shipwrecks like the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society are helping to answer that story. And they keep looking for the ones that are not yet told and not yet found. For that, they deserve the highest commendation”.

The Adella Shores was built in Gibraltar, Michigan in 1894 and owned by the Shores Lumber Company. Named after the owner’s daughter, the ship was christened with a bottle of water rather than wine or champagne, due to the owner’s strict alcohol views, a fact that many saw as a bad luck omen. The steamer sank twice in shallow waters, was refloated and put back into service before disappearing in 1909.

To learn more, visit shipwreckmuseum.com.