CLEVELAND, Ohio (1 Dec 2005) -- Divers have located the most coveted of all Lake Erie shipwrecks. The Cortland was only a year old when it sank on June 20, 1868. The 173-foot, three-masted bark was one of the largest sailing vessels on the Great Lakes. It was carrying iron ore in the dark and drizzle off the shore of Lorain, on course to pass the passenger steamer Morning Star. Around midnight, a crewman on the Cortland told the first mate to clean the dimming green oil lantern so the approaching steamer would see them. The mate took down the lantern. Twenty minutes passed, and still the lantern was not returned. The crewman saw the Morning Star heading for them and ran to the bell. His warning came too late. The ships collided, sinking both and killing 38 people. Bodies washed ashore for weeks. Only the Morning Star was recovered. "We are thrilled that they have found this wreck," said Georgann Wachter, a diver from Avon Lake. She and her husband, Michael, have written three books about Lake Erie shipwrecks. The lake is full of sunken ships, between 1,500 and 3,000, Wachter said. Only about 400 have been found, and not all of those have been identified. "It's probably the most historically significant wreck in the Cleveland area," said Kevin Magee of Cleveland Underwater Explorers, an informal dive team that goes by the name CLUE. CLUE member Jim Paskert, who no longer dives, passed along coordinates from his old records, not remembering why he had written them down. Divers found a wreck in 60 feet of water using sidescan sonar imaging in July and suspected it might be the Cortland. Each dive reinforced their suspicion. | | On the fifth dive, they found the bell. The fact the bell was still on the ship meant the vessel was more than likely an untouched wreck and that they were the first to see it in 137 years. Rigging, anchors and masts were salvaged from the Cortland within weeks of the collision, but the ship was never raised and details about its location were lost over time. CLUE divers say a number of facts have convinced them of their find. Along with the bell, they found a carved figure extending from the front of the ship. Figureheads were rare at the time, but the Cortland had one. The anchors are missing, and the chain appears to have been cut, which is consistent with a salvage operation. The divers are carefully guarding the location of the wreck. Although federal and state laws prohibit the removal of artifacts without a permit, the men worry that the bell and other items could fall into the wrong hands. Carrie Sowden, of the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center, is applying for a salvage permit. The plan is to remove the bell and figurehead in the spring, then conserve and display the items at the Great Lakes Historical Society in Vermilion, home to the shipwreck center. |
