Blinding snowstorm claimed massive schooner 130 years ago

HARRISVILLE, MI – A massive schooner was claimed by Lake Huron during a blinding November snowstorm 130 years ago, records say.

The 217-foot schooner John L. Shaw is one of dozens of ships that has wrecked in the Great Lakes during November storms over the past 200 years, according to records kept by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It's considered the deadliest month on the Great Lakes.

On Nov. 13, 1894, the Shaw was being towed by the steamer John F. Eddy, records say . The two ships were headed north on their way to Chicago with cargo holds full of coal. Off the shore of Harrisville, they encountered a blinding and violent snowstorm.

The towline between the two vessels parted, rendering the Shaw helpless, records say. The schooner then began taking on water and sank.

The crew abandoned the ship, records say. They drifted in a lifeboat for several hours before a passing steamer rescued them.

The wreck of the Shaw was found a few years later by a wrecking company, records say. However, a planned recovery never happened.

Shaw was forgotten until July 2007 when John Gauthier, a local fisherman, stumbled upon it while setting nets, records say.

"Located about seven miles from shore in 130 feet of water, the remains of the lost schooner offer an incredible opportunity for recreational divers," according to the marine sanctuary. "While the vessel's enormous hull stands nearly intact, the schooner's starboard side has fallen away and rests flat on the bottom."

The wreck is at GPS coordinates N44° 37.000' W83° 08.000'.

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 2000, is a 4,300-square-mile underwater preserve that protects more than 100 historic shipwrecks in Lake Huron off the Michigan coast. It was the first marine sanctuary in the Great Lakes. The sanctuary's headquarters and museum are in Alpena. Shipwrecks are available for recreation, including diving, snorkeling and paddling.