Shipwreck Schooner Trinidad Lost in 1880s Found in Lake Michigan

The shipwreck of the schooner Trinidad, which went missing in the late 1880s, was finally found in Lake Michigan, according to a report released on Friday by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Schooner Trinidad: Built For the Great Lakes

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, historians and shipwreck hunters Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck discovered the remains of the schooner Trinidad earlier this year in 270 feet of water off the coast of Algoma.

The schooner Trinidad, constructed in New York in 1867, was described as a "canaller" or canal schooner that was specifically designed to travel via the Welland Canal, which connected Lake Erie and Ontario. The ship was created to transport grains across the Great Lakes between Milwaukee, Chicago, Buffalo, and Oswego. The Trinidad transported coal or iron from New York and brought back grain from the Midwest.

According to the group, the ship's owners did not put much money into maintaining it, which resulted in a brief career.

On May 11, 1881, Trinidad set sail for the last time and headed for Milwaukee when the ship started to fill with water. The Trinidad kept moving forward until it rapidly and abruptly lurched and started to sink. The ship's captain and crew promptly made their way to the yawl, where they battled the waves until they arrived in Algoma, which was still known as Ahnapee.

The lone casualty on board was the ship's mascot, a giant Newfoundland dog, who was napping when the ship started to sink, according to the post.

Although the schooner Trinidad is inconspicuous in the number of shipwrecks remaining uncovered in Wisconsin waters, it is nevertheless a noteworthy shipwreck, according to the historical society, which applauded the "remarkable" discovery.

Final Voyage of the Trinidad

Around five in the morning on Wednesday, May 11, 1881, the schooner Trinidad, which was carrying coal from Port Huron to Chicago, capsized about ten miles off Ahnapee. The Trinidad was discovered to be leaking while out of the ship canal, and the pumps were started, although with little success. The crew abandoned the schooner in their little boat shortly before five when they saw she was sinking. Trinidad unshipped her foremast as the schooner began to sink.

Shipwrecks in Lake Michigan

According to Tamara Thomsen from the Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Preservation Program, 750 ships are known to have left Wisconsin and never arrived at their intended location. 600 people are thought to have perished in Lake Michigan.

Only 210 of the ships' whereabouts are known, she claimed. Each year, a few ships are uncovered.

The total number of ships in Lake Michigan is only an estimate. As researchers discover more, the number of ships fluctuates.

There are no shipwrecks discovered by the Wisconsin Historical Society but they get in touch with experts for this task. Third parties use their own resources, including boats and money, to look for shipwrecks.

Some people enjoy shipwreck searching as a pastime, according to Thomsen. They do their homework, map out the last known location, and then scour those potential hiding places.

They start by looking through sailors' notebooks, lighthouse keepers' logs, maps, newspaper articles, and other records to find shipwrecks.