Lake Ann shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson has located what he believes to be 3 uncharted shipwreck sites in the waters off Sleeping Bear Point.  The wrecks are between 15 and 22 feet of water near the point.

“This spring I spent a couple days searching the waters off Sleeping Bear Point with boat mounted side scan sonar in the vicinity of a large piece of wreckage which washed ashore during a gale last October.  I found 4 offshore targets during that search.  Only one, the schooner James McBride, is a previously documented shipwreck, according to my research” says Richardson.

Shallow water wrecks tend to be notoriously difficult to identify.  They are usually salvaged of all usable equipment, such as anchors, chains, and rigging, shortly after they wreck, leaving their hulls stripped.  The wrecks also take a beating from large waves and ice and the sand tends to be very dynamic near shore, covering and uncovering wrecks for long periods of time.

One wreck site is loaded with artifacts.  “It’s a candy store wreck”, says Richardson. “It contains dead-eyes, pulleys, wire rope rigging, chains, tools, wood fasteners and a capstan with a builders plate dated 1856.  These wreck sites are probably buried in sand a majority of the time, but uncover occasionally under the right conditions.”

Another wreck site consists of the keel of a large sailing vessel.  The bottom section of the ship’s hull is built with heavy timbers and measures 117 feet in length.  A half mile away, in 20 feet of water, rests a heavily constructed hull section measuring 130 feet length.

Richardson is working with the National Park Service at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to document and protect the wreck sites and artifacts and to create a database of shipwrecks in the area.  The newly located wreck sites are within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore waters.

Last summer, Richardson discovered the legendary Lake Michigan treasure ship “Westmoreland”.  The Westmoreland sank in 1854 reportedly with a hoard of gold coins in her safe that would be worth millions today, and a cargo of 280 barrels of whiskey.  Richardson is remaining tight lipped on whether those items where located.

Richardson’s website: www.michiganmysteries.com highlights information about the Sleeping Bear Point shipwrecks as well as information on the Westmoreland legend and discovery.  The site also highlights other solvable mysteries, such as missing people, aircraft, and ships in the state of Michigan.

Richardson will be doing presentations on the Westmoreland’s discovery and also the discovery of the Sleeping Bear wrecks at libraries and historical societies around the Great Lakes Region.  

Richardson is doing two presentations entitled “Shipwrecks of Sleeping Bear Point" and “The Search for the Westmoreland” Saturday October 29 in Muskegon at the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum in Muskegon, Michigan.