The remnants of a 142-year-old shipwreck, the Trinidad, have been discovered ten miles off the coast of Algoma, Wisconsin.
The Trinidad, a cargo vessel built in 1867, was found almost entirely intact under 300 feet of water in Lake Michigan, bringing a two-year search by Brendon Baillod, president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association, and Robert Jaeck to a successful conclusion.
"We were stunned to see that not only was the deckhouse still on her, but it still had all the cabinets with all the dishes stacked in them and all the crews effects," Baillod revealed to the press. He further described the discovery as akin to a "ship in a bottle" and a "time capsule."
The Trinidad, a 140-foot-long schooner, was primarily used for transporting grain from Milwaukee and Chicago to cities on the East Coast. The term "schooner" is used to describe sailing vessels with two or more masts, as reported by the Guardian. Baillod highlighted the historical significance of such vessels, stating, "If you lived in Philadelphia, Boston or New York in the 1860s and 70s and youre eating a sandwich, the bread in that sandwich was almost certainly grown in Wisconsin and brought on a schooner."
Despite being hailed as one of the "finest schooners made," the Trinidad was plagued by poor management and persistent leaks. On May 11, 1881, the day it sank, the ship began taking on water during the morning hours.
Captain John Higgins and his eight-man crew managed to evacuate safely on a lifeboat, with the only casualty being a Newfoundland dog. The crew suffered from hypothermia. The detailed account provided by Higgins of the ship's final location was instrumental in Baillod and Jaeck's successful discovery.
Baillod acknowledged the exceptional condition of the Trinidad, stating, "Shes not the only ship thats in really good shape out in Wisconsin waters, but Id say shes top two or three."
This discovery follows the report by Breitbart News last October of a 300-foot ship found at the bottom of Lake Superior, which had been submerged for over a century.
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