National Marine Sanctuary Researchers Discover Lost Shipwreck Ironton

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. Located within NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck was found using cutting-edge oceanographic technology and has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. The 191-foot Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing.

In September 1894, Ironton sank in a collision that took the lives of five of the ship’s crew. The 190-foot steamer Charles J. Kershaw departed Ashtabula, Ohio, on Lake Erie, with the schooner barges Ironton and Moonlight in tow. While sailing north across Lake Huron, Kershaw’s engine failed, leaving the ship without power. After a strong south wind pushed Moonlight and Ironton toward the disabled steamer, Moonlight’s crew cut Ironton’s tow line to prevent entanglement. However, this caused Ironton to ultimately drift into the path of the 203-foot wooden freighter Ohio, leading to a head-on collision with the steamer and causing Ironton to sink.

For more information, visit sanctuaries.noaa.gov.