A mysterious shipwreck that was recently uncovered by a Lake Michigan storm surge is slowly being reclaimed by the Great Lake.
The eerie wreck, which was buried just off the Muskegon coast, was revealed by a storm just before Thanksgiving, according to a KGW8 report.
Citing the West Michigan Underwater Preserve (WMUP), WWMT reports that, as of Thursday, about a third of the ship had been reburied, and the wreck is expected to be completely underwater in “a matter of months.”
MYSTERIOUS SHIPWRECK UNCOVERED IN LAKE MICHIGAN STORM SURGE
The WMUP, which partners with the State of Michigan to preserve shipwrecks and coastal artifacts, told Fox News last year that the wreck is likely a barge that sank in the 1930s. Fox News has reached out to WMUP with a request for additional comment on this story.
The wreck, seen in this photo taken shortly after its discovery, has sparked speculation about the circumstances surrounding its sinking.
(John Hanson West Michigan Underwater Preserve)
The barge is thought to have been hauling a 1915 Bucyrus Erie Steam Crane when it started taking on water, according to WMUP. Researchers found the wreckage of the crane eight years ago by plotting the GPS numbers, and the wreck is now a marked dive sight.
The barge is almost directly inshore a quarter-mile from the Crane, John Hanson of the WMUP told Fox News last year.
‘MYSTERIOUS GHOST SHIP’ DISCOVERED IN LAKE MICHIGAN
The Great Lakes continue to reveal their shipwreck secrets. The remarkably intact wreck of a schooner that sank in 1891 was recently discovered in Lake Michigan.
Experts were called in to examine the wreck – file photo.
(John Hanson West Michigan Underwater Preserve)
Two Civil War-era schooners that collided and sank more than 140 years ago were also recently discovered near Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan.
The wreck of a steamer has also been discovered 103 years after it was struck by a massive wave and sank in Lake Superior. In 2019, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum announced the discovery of the wreck of the S.R. Kirby off the Keweenaw Peninsula on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
EXPLORERS FIND 119-YEAR-OLD SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF LAKE ERIE
Researchers found what appeared to be wreckage near Eagle Harbor, Mich., in 2018 and returned to identify the wreck with an underwater drone last year. Also in 2018, experts said that a shipwreck discovered in Lake Erie in 2015 may be the oldest found in the famous lake.
A storm surge revealed the mysterious shipwreck – file photo.
(John Hanson West Michigan Underwater Preserve)
In addition, researchers in 2018 announced the discovery of the 119-year-old shipwreck Margaret Olwill at the bottom of Lake Erie. The wooden steam barge sank during an 1899 nor’ easter.
In May 2008, two explorers discovered the British warship HMS Ontario, which was lost in Lake Ontario in 1780. The HMS Ontario is the oldest shipwreck ever found in the Great Lakes and the only British warship of this period still in existence in the world.
EXPLORERS FIND 119-YEAR-OLD SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF LAKE ERIE
The wreck is the latest to be discovered in the Great Lakes – file photo.
(John Hanson West Michigan Underwater Preserve)
Later that year, the explorers — Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville — also discovered a rare 19th-century schooner sitting upright 500 feet under the waves of Lake Ontario.
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In 2016, Kennard was also part of a team of underwater explorers that discovered the second-oldest confirmed shipwreck in the Great Lakes. The Washington, an American-built, Canadian-owned sloop sank in Lake Ontario during a fierce storm in 1803.
Fox News’ Alex Vros, Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Robert Gearty and The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
