4 ms·

The Great Lakes seem awash in shipwrecks, but this one is in amazing condition.

LeifCarrotson 3y ago
They're all in pretty amazing condition. Deep, still, low-oxygen fresh water is much better at preserving a wreck than anything in saltwater. The boat probably rotted more in the 20 years during which it was unmaintained, exposed to the sun and weather on the surface, than it did during the 150 years it spent on the bottom of the lake.
kayodelycaon 3y ago
That's because the Great Lakes are massive. Lake Superior alone is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It's effectively a sea where wave heights can reach 25 feet (7.6 meters). Winter storms can sink bulk freighters (1). I grew up in Wisconsin and no one took Lake Superior lightly. The song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (2) is part of the region's legends and history. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI
- itslennysfault 3y ago
  Largest by area, but only about half the size of Lake Baikal by volume. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
  - oh_sigh 3y ago
    Sure, but for the most part interesting weather phenomena come from surface area, not volume.
    - itslennysfault 3y ago
      No doubt superior has far more interesting weather. I just always think of this image when I hear Superior is the "biggest" and it really adds some interesting perspective https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/startswithabang/files/2020/06/lakes-1200x873.jpg https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/startswithabang/file...
  - phkahler 3y ago
    Ah but many people think Michigan/Huron should be considered one lake, in which case it would be largest by area and volume I think. It's a valid point given they are connected by a straight that is 5 miles wide at the narrowest and not very long and also very deep. Their levels are the same because they are essentially the same body of water.

They're all in pretty amazing condition. Deep, still, low-oxygen fresh water is much better at preserving a wreck than anything in saltwater. The boat probably rotted more in the 20 years during which it was unmaintained, exposed to the sun and weather on the surface, than it did during the 150 years it spent on the bottom of the lake.

kayodelycaon 3y ago

That's because the Great Lakes are massive. Lake Superior alone is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It's effectively a sea where wave heights can reach 25 feet (7.6 meters). Winter storms can sink bulk freighters (1). I grew up in Wisconsin and no one took Lake Superior lightly. The song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (2) is part of the region's legends and history. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI

itslennysfault 3y ago
Largest by area, but only about half the size of Lake Baikal by volume. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
- oh_sigh 3y ago
  Sure, but for the most part interesting weather phenomena come from surface area, not volume.
  - itslennysfault 3y ago
    No doubt superior has far more interesting weather. I just always think of this image when I hear Superior is the "biggest" and it really adds some interesting perspective https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/startswithabang/files/2020/06/lakes-1200x873.jpg https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/startswithabang/file...
- phkahler 3y ago
  Ah but many people think Michigan/Huron should be considered one lake, in which case it would be largest by area and volume I think. It's a valid point given they are connected by a straight that is 5 miles wide at the narrowest and not very long and also very deep. Their levels are the same because they are essentially the same body of water.