An eerie video takes you deep into Lake Superior, where a century-old shipwreck lies, with masts and rigging nearly intact. Explorers Ken Merryman, Jerry Eliason and Kraig Smith recently used a remote camera to photograph their find: the 187-foot Antelope. The coal-hauling freighter sank in rough waters in October, 1897.
Merryman told Great Lakes Today that the team hopes to use a maneuverable ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) to get a more detailed view of the top of the masts and a peek inside the port side forward cabin. For more, read about their discovery or listen to a Minnesota Public Radio interview with Merryman.
Experts say 5,000 to 8,000 ships sank in the Great Lakes. Hundreds have been found, well-preserved by the cold water, but at the bottom of deeper lakes, like Lake Ontario and Lake Superior, hundreds more remain undiscovered.
This year, explorers announced several finds, including the Royal Albert, a schooner that sank in Lake Ontario in 1868 and a century-old locomotive that jumped its track and ended up in Lake Superior.
Video courtesy of Ken Merryman
