The S.S.Arlingtonsank into Lake Superior on 16 December 2024, along with its captain — but it’s unclear why the captain went down with his ship.
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyA historical photo of the merchandiser ship S.S.Arlington .
The remains of a World War II - era merchant ship that sank in Lake Superior along with its captain were recently discovered by a radical of wreck huntsman .
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museumannouncedthe breakthrough , ascribe the find to shipwreck investigator Dan Fountain , who has been studying remote sensing data in the hunt for deep-set vessels in Lake Superior for the preceding decade .
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyA historical photo of the merchant ship S.S.Arlington.
Fountain ’s independent enquiry led him to reach out to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society ( GLSHS ) , who then worked with Fountain to locate the 244 - foot bulk newsboy S.S.Arlingtonroughly 650 feet below the surface of the weewee , just northward of Michigan ’s Keweenaw Peninsula .
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyTheArlington‘s toilet bowl rudder and stock - and - steam mooring winch .
“ It ’s exciting to work just one more of Lake Superior ’s many whodunit , ” Fountain pronounce in the statement , “ findingArlingtonso far out in the lake . I hope this final chapter in her story can provide some criterion of closure to the family of Captain Burke . ”
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyTheArlington‘s toilet bowl rudder and stock-and-steam mooring winch.
But just what pass off to theArlingtonall those days ago ? The shipwreck paints an image of an unfortunate , tragic catastrophe .
The Final Journey Of The S.S. ‘Arlington’
The S.S.Arlingtonleft Port Arthur , Ontario , on April 30 , 1940 , load up with pale yellow and ready to congeal sheet for Owen Sound , Ontario . Under the command of Captain Frederick “ Tatey Bug ” Burke , who had span the lake many times , the merchant ship sailed off into the dull fog .
Another larger freighter , theCollingwood , also set off across Lake Superior that day , but as nighttime hang , the thick fog turned into a heavy storm . As rain assailed both ship , theArlingtonbegan to take on water , and first first mate Junis Macksey ordered the crew to contribute the ship stuffy to shore , where the wind and waves would be less vivid .
Captain Burke , however , refuse and alternatively demanded that the ship remain on its original course .
Around 4:30 a.m. on May 1 , theArlingtonstarted to sink into the water , and chief technologist Fred Gilbert sounded the alarm . Lacking order from Captain Burke but fearing for their lives , the gang of theArlingtonabandoned ship — and gratefully , everyone managed to hold up and make it aboard theCollingwood .
Everyone , that is , except Captain Burke .
Robert McGreevy / Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyAn artist ’s rendering of Captain Burke going down with the sinkingArlington .
soon after , an investigation was conducted regarding the ship ’s sinking . Why , for example , had Captain Burke made the unusual call to usher the ship into more grave waters ? And why did he go down with the ship when he could have easily made it off as his crew did ?
Unfortunately , the investigating found no answers to these query . Captain Burke reportedly even stand near the ship ’s wheelhouse and flap at his bunch as theArlingtonwent under .
Still , while many doubtfulness rest unanswered , the breakthrough of the S.S.Arlingtoncan perhaps provide some closure for Captain Burke ’s descendent .
Discovering The Lost Merchant Ship
“ One of the most important aspects of everything we do as anorganization involves the construct of teamwork , ” say GLSHS Executive Director Bruce Lynn . “ We are favourable to have so many consecrate shipwreck historians and investigator as friends of GLSHS . ”
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyThe steering steering wheel of theArlington .
This allegiance to history and teamwork was on the dot what enabled researcher to find theArlington . When Dan Fountain approached GLSHS with a potential target , it could have easily been top off as nothing — after all , as Lynn notes , these suspected finds often do amount to nothing .
Robert McGreevy/Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyAn artist’s rendition of Captain Burke going down with the sinkingArlington.
However , in this instance , “ it absolutely was a wreck , ” Lynn said in the annunciation . “ A crash with an interesting , and perhaps mystical story . Had Dan not reached out to us , we might never have located theArlington … and we certainly would n’t know as much about her tale as we do today . ”
After reading about this freshly discovered lost ship , dive into the news report of the RMSTitanic , history ’s most famous sunk ship . Or , read about theAndrea Gail , the wreck that inspiredThe Perfect Storm .
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical SocietyThe steering wheel of theArlington.
