FRIDAY SURPRISE: Intact schooner found in Lake Ontario

Aside from my preoccupation with personal flying machines, I'm also fascinated by abandoned buildings, old mines, and - even though I can't swim - shipwrecks!

The schooner Milan operated on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, shuttling grain and other staples with its crew of nine men. In October of 1849, it was heading to Cleveland with a load of salt when it started taking on water. Despite the efforts of the crew, the Milan sank into the cold depths of Lake Ontario, coming to rest in over 200 feet of water.

The wreck was located in 2005, and a surprise awaited its discoverers: it sits upright, completely intact, on the bottom of the lake - even its masts are in place, sticking straight up from the deck as they did when on the surface! It is a superbly preserved example of early American sailing technology, and is an important historical find (in addition to just being really cool!)



You can read about the wreck in this article on Shiwreckworld.com, and get some more background material in this article on the ABC News website.

-=[ Grant ]=-