Shipwreck of the Month: Manasoo By: Courtney Kingery, UHM MOP Student
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ailors have been travelling across the Great Lakes since the 1600s and still do to this day. With a high amount of traffic, there are more opportunities for accidents to occur in this area. There are a suspected 7,000 ships at the bottom of the Great Lakes but only 2,000 have been discovered. It is the goal of researcher Cris Kohl to uncover as many shipwrecks as he and his team can, and as they do so, they are helping close the gaps in historical knowledge. Cold fresh water helps preserve both the shipwrecks and the stories locked within their hulls. In 1928, the Manasoo sank in the Georgian Bay. This ship is well preserved with the rooms being identifiable and the pilot house unscathed, which is rare in a ship- The propellor of the Monohansett, in the Great Lakes. Photo by: NOAA Thunder Bay wreck. But just because the woodNational Marine Sanctuary, Flickr. en wheel is in place after 90 years of being in the bottom of the Great In mid-September of 1928, the stern started to take on Lakes does not mean this ship is going anywhere anywater, most likely because a hatch was left open by accitime soon. Neither is the 1927 Chevy Coupe that has dent. Once the captain noticed something wasn’t right, been patiently waiting to drive to its destination for alhe tried to steer the ship to the closest piece of land but most 100 years. This car is a topic of conversation bethis maneuver was unsuccessful. In the end, 16 passencause it is the only one so far that has been found within gers and around 100 cows died as the ship sank to the a shipwreck in Lake Huron. Similar to modern ferries bottom of Lake Huron, with the front of the ship lifted which transport people and their vehicles to various upwards, in excellent condition. Historical records exports, this steamer was carrying people, livestock and plain that one lifeboat was in the water when large waves this intact Chevy to Owen Sound. Interestingly enough, and possible cattle movement caused the ship to roll on the owner of this vehicle was one of five passengers who its side before it started its vertical descent. Roy Fox, the survived the ordeal. oiler on the ship, was sucked under but somehow made
12| Seawords
