DEER PARK, Mich. — A ship carrying a load of coal when it sank in a storm in 1891 has been discovered in Lake Superior off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The Atlanta is well-preserved in the extremely cold lake, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society said Thursday.
The shipwreck group posted photos and video with the name of the ship clearly visible at a depth of more than 600 feet, roughly 35 miles off Deer Park, Michigan.
“It is truly ornate and still beautiful after 130 years on the bottom of Lake Superior,” said Bruce Lynn, executive director of the shipwreck society.
The group said sonar technology had a critical role in locating the Atlanta.
The ship, which had its sails down, was being towed by another vessel when the line snapped during a storm, according to the group. Crew members got into a lifeboat, though only two survived when that boat overturned.