- The wreck of the 244-foot wheat-carrying merchant ship Arlington, which sank in Lake Superior during a storm in 1940, has been discovered.
- Arrington’s body was found off the coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in approximately 650 feet of water.
- Sunk on April 30, 1940, the Arlington sank beneath the waters of Lake Superior en route to Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Her captain, Frederick Burke, chose to sink the ship with her, but all of her crew survived.
In 1940, shipwreck hunters discovered a merchant ship that sank in Lake Superior after a storm off the coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, along with its captain.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain announced Monday that the 244-foot bulk carrier Arlington has been discovered in 650 feet of water about 55 miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.
The Arlington left Port Arthur, Ontario, fully loaded with wheat on April 30, 1940, bound for Owen Sound, Ontario, under the command of Great Lakes veteran Captain Frederick “Taty Bug” Burke.
Mysterious 19th century shipwreck washes up on snowy Canadian coastline: ‘beaten by the sea’
However, as the Arlington and the large freighter Collingwood attempted to cross Lake Superior, they encountered thick fog and, after nightfall, a storm that overtook both ships. Water has begun to enter the Arlington River.
According to the discoverers, the ship’s first mate ordered the Arlington to take a course that would hug Canada’s North Shore, which would have provided some protection from the wind and waves, but Burke canceled the order. He reportedly ordered the ship to return to its course across the open lake.
The wreck of the wheat bulk carrier Arlington was photographed beneath Lake Superior, about 55 miles north of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, via AP)
Early on the morning of May 1, 1940, the Arlington began to sink and the chief engineer sounded the alarm. The crew began to abandon her ship “fearing for their lives and without orders from Captain Burke,” the statement said.
All crew members arrived safely on the Collingwood, except for Burke, who sank with the Arlington. He was last seen waving at Collingwood near the wheelhouse, minutes before the boat disappeared into the lake, according to reports.
The shipwreck association said in a statement that “no one knows the answer” to why Mr Burke acted the way he did before he lost the ship.
“It’s exciting to solve yet another of Lake Superior’s many mysteries by discovering Arlington far across the lake,” Fountain said in a statement. “We hope this final chapter of her story brings some closure to Captain Burke’s family.”
Bruce Linn, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, said the Arlington was discovered thanks to Fountain of Negaunee, Michigan. Fountain has been using remote sensing to search for shipwrecks on Lake Superior for about 10 years.
Fountain approached the group looking for “potential targets” near the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, and the Arlington was discovered last year, Lynn said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“These targets don’t always mean something… but in this case it was definitely a shipwreck. A shipwreck with an interesting and perhaps mysterious story,” he said in a statement. “If Dan hadn’t contacted us, he might never have found Arlington.”
