Strong winds that prompted an Environment Canada alert this week have laid bare Lake Erie shoreline not often seen.
But they also — briefly — uncovered a rarely-seen shipwreck.
Matt Vermette is the owner of The Dive Shop in Kingsville, Ont., and was out for a walk Wednesday night when he spotted something from afar.
“It was just really cool. I saw some birds sitting on a structure. I thought, oh, maybe it’s an old dock or something, right. And as I got closer, I said, ‘no, that’s, that’s definitely a shipwreck.’”
It was about 150 metres out from shore, and about 51 metres long, Vermette estimated, also noting it’s a schooner because of the distinct “skeleton” of the wreck.
Shallow water levels unearth shipwreck on Lake Erie
Even though he scuba dives often, it was a wreck he’d never seen, and there are many on Lake Erie. Vermette estimated at least a couple hundred, though there are maybe 20 or 30 that are commonly known.
It’s not clear which vessel the wreck could be. Historians Vermette spoke with think it could be one of two possible wrecks: The Demming, or the Overton, both wrecks documented in local newspapers from the time and both dating back to before 1900.
Robert Lynch, a local historian, says the wreck has been exposed before.
“This end of (Lake Erie), Pigeon Bay it’s called, is fairly shallow but it does generate very high waves … If you happen to be passing over top of a reef when your boat is riding down into the hollow of a wave, you can hit bottom.
“It can create havoc for ships. So more shipwrecks are in this portion of the lake than the rest of the lake.”
Vermette posted photos and video to Facebook, where he says people are equally excited and eager for more information about the wreck.
Kingsville resident Jennifer Wright says she went out looking for the wreck on Thursday afternoon after seeing pictures of it posted on social media.
“I guess a whole bunch of us are out trying to find it … I don’t see it,” Wright said with a laugh. “The water has come in and covered it back up.
“He was in the right place at the right time. Lucky guy, I guess.”
Vermette agreed. By Thursday morning, the water had come back in and the structure was long underwater.
The wreck is one you’re not likely to see if you were out diving in the area, according to Vermette. Because of the amount of mud, visibility is very limited.
“You’ll see it right before you hit it. But to be able to walk around it and get those videos and to take the pictures I did, you wouldn’t get those pictures underwater,” he said.
“Even if it was clear, it wouldn’t be the same.”
