WHITEFISH POINT, Mich. 鈥� A large wooden steamship that was last seen plowing into a icy Lake Superior gale in 1909 on its way to Duluth has been discovered, more than a century after it went down with 14 souls aboard.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society on Wednesday, May 1.
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The Adella Shores, a 195-foot, 735-ton steamer, was hauling a load of salt to Duluth on April 29, 1909, following behind the steel steamship Daniel J. Morrell as it plowed through ice on the lake when it foundered off of Whitefish Point, Michigan, according to the historical society. The captain of the Daniel J. Morrell speculated the Adella Shores may have hit an ice flow that punctured its hull, sinking the ship.
Ships that later passed through the area reported no sightings of the Adella Shores. But the steamer Glenellah arrived in Duluth and reported bringing up a mast and partial rigging on its anchor chains, and the steamer Gettysburg reported running through drifting wreckage near Sable Point, west of where the Adella Shores was last seen, according to a May 8, 1909, article in the Detroit Evening Times.
The crew of the steamer Simon Langell also passed through some floating wreckage on its way to Duluth, including painted and tarred deck planks. Captain Geel of the Simon Langell was confident in his assessment: "That is the Adella Shores, I know her well," he said, according to a May 9, 1909, report in The Minneapolis Tribune.
The location of the Adella Shores remained undiscovered until the summer of 2021, when Darryl Ertel, director of marine operations for the historical society, and his brother Dan discovered a "target" using a side-scan sonar system.
Imaging showed a distinct shape of a ship casting eerie sonar shadows across the lakebed that looked like a mast and rigging. They then sent down a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to see what they had found.
鈥淚 pretty much knew that had to be the Adella Shores when I measured the length of it, because there were no other ships out there missing in that size range,鈥� Ertel said, in the GLSHS press release. 鈥淎s soon as I put the ROV down on it for the first time, I could see the design of the ship and I could match it right up to the Adella Shores."
The Adella Shores was found more than 40 miles northeast of Whitefish Point in 650 feet of water. Video from the ROV showed a ship with many portions intact, not uncommon in the cold freshwater of Lake Superior, which helps to preserves wrecks like the Adella Shores.
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鈥淧eople often ask us why we wait so long to release shipwrecks that we find,鈥� said GLSHS Content/Communications Director Corey Adkins in the news release announcing the find. 鈥淓very one of these stories is important and deserves to be told with the utmost honor and respect. GLSHS has had some banner years of discovery 鈥� and a lot of research goes into each press release, ensuring that we tell the story accurately."
According to the historical society, the Adella Shores had a storied career. It was built in Gibraltar, Michigan, in 1894, owned by the Shores Lumber Company and named after the owner鈥檚 daughter, Adella. As the Shores family was strict about alcohol consumption, Adella鈥檚 sister Bessie christened the new ship with a bottle of water instead of the usual bottle of alcohol or wine 鈥� likely an omen of bad luck to old sailors.
The sinking of the Adella Shores made 1909 a particularly deadly year for sailors on Lake Superior. The Detroit Free Press reported on May 9 that 34 lives had been lost thus far on the Great Lakes, only a month into the sailing season.
The losses, chronicled by The Minneapolis Tribune on May 16, included four vessels: the steamer Eber Ward, the Aurania (very near where the Adella Shores likely sank), the lumber barge Nester and then the Adella Shores.
Prior to its final voyage, the Adella Shores had already sunk twice in 15 years in shallower waters, allowing it to be refloated and put back into service. But in 1909 the luck of the ship and its crew finally ran out.
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