GLIN==> Press release: NOAA Expedition Probes Lake Huron Shipwreck Mystery

Contact: Russ Green  *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

                             989-356-8805 ext. 16                                           May 19, 2010                                                                  

*NOAA Expedition Probes Lake Huron Shipwreck Mystery*

A NOAA-led research expedition this week in Thunder Bay National Marine 
Sanctuary is attempting to unravel the mystery surrounding the collision 
and sinking of two Great Lakes commercial schooners in Lake Huron more 
than 150 years ago.

On Oct. 20, 1854, the /John J. Audubon/ sailed north to Chicago with a 
load of iron railroad tracks. At 1:30 a.m., the southbound /Defiance/ 
emerged from the darkness and fog, striking the /Audubon/'s mid-section. 
The collision reportedly opened a deep gash in the /Audubon's/ hull, 
severely damaging the /Defiance/.

The /Audubon/ sank quickly, though the /Defiance/ struggled on, finally 
sinking just a few miles away. Miraculously, both crews survived. Today, 
the /Defiance/ and /Audubon/ rest mostly intact in more than 180 feet of 
water.

A team of archaeologists, historians and divers is hoping to determine 
what happened that ill-fated morning, a period when the press for speed 
and profit encouraged shipping companies to take greater risks on the 
Great Lakes.

The team will document the sites with carefully drawn survey maps, 
individual and panoramic photographs, and video. The research will not 
only reveal the stories preserved in these nationally-significant 
shipwrecks, but will be critical in their long term preservation. The 
sanctuary will use this "baseline" to monitor future changes to the 
shipwrecks.

The data also will help the sanctuary nominate the wrecks to the 
National Register of Historic Places and interpret these exciting 
shipwrecks through exhibits and programs at the sanctuary's visitor 
center, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

"The wrecks of the /Defiance/ and /Audubon/ capture a dramatic moment 
during a century that transformed America," said Russ Green, deputy 
superintendent, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. "The research 
conducted during this expedition will help us better understand and 
preserve these and other shipwrecks for future generations of divers and 
non-divers. Like all historic shipwrecks, they are irreplaceable. 
Protecting them requires a team effort between archaeologists, 
historians, divers and public."

The team will also evaluate several other historic shipwrecks in the 
region, including the steamer /Messenger/, which the sanctuary 
discovered in 190 feet of water off Rogers City, Mich. in 2008.

Expedition partners include Thunder Bay and Monitor National Marine 
Sanctuaries, the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research 
and Technology, and the University of Connecticut's Marine Sciences 
Diving Program.

Located in northwestern Lake Huron, Thunder Bay is adjacent to one of 
the most treacherous stretches of water within the Great Lakes system. 
Unpredictable weather, murky fog banks, sudden gales, and rocky shoals 
earned the area the name "Shipwreck Alley." Today, the 448-square-mile 
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary protects one of America's 
best-preserved and nationally significant collections of shipwrecks.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from 
the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and 
manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.

On the Web:

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary: http://thunderbay.noaa.gov

Photo:

A profile mosaic of the schooner /Defiance/ constructed by 
archaeologists from Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The mosaic 
provides a full view of the shipwreck. Credit: NOAA

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