Shipwreck Society Discovers Wreck off Coast of Lake Superior

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) has announced the discovery of the 144-foot barquentine Nucleus, which was found under 600 feet of water around 40 miles northwest of Vermilion Point on Lake Superior.

The Nucleus sank on September 14, 1869, making it one of the oldest ships to go down along Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast. The Nucleus was caught in a bad storm on Lake Superior and started to take on water. The leak became so bad the crew had to abandon ship and take to their lifeboat. The Nucleus sank shortly afterwards, with no loss of life.

The Shipwreck Society discovered the Nucleus using a Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar in the summer of 2021, and positively identified the wreck in 2022 using the organization’s remotely operated vehicle. GLSHS Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel Jr. says he found the wreck to be in surprisingly good condition: “The stern was intact. It had a straight back stern and then the port side also was intact. And so, I was more excited about it because at first, I thought it was totally in pieces on the bottom.”

For more information, visit shipwreckmuseum.com.