The Lake Serpent, one of the oldest known shipwrecks in Lake Erie, was launched in 1821. Lake Erie is the shallowest of the five Great Lakes making shipwrecks easier to locate, however, the wrecks tend to be in worse condition, making them harder to identify. The Lake Serpent, a wooden 47 foot schooner, had a signature snake craving on the bow. It carried many kinds of cargo, everything from produce and alcohol to limestone.
Carrying a hefty load of limestone in 1829, the Lake Serpent left Put-in-Bay, in the Erie Islands, heading towards Cleveland, Ohio. This would be the last time the ship set sail. On October 08, 1829, the Cleveland Weekly Herald reported the ship had not been seen for four weeks. There is still no definitive answer of what happened to the Sea Serpent or even if the wreck found is indeed the Sea Serpent. Clues found at the wreck indicating it may truly be the Sea Serpent include carving in the bow, size and build of the schooner, and the rough limestone cargo.
The location of the shipwreck was unknown until 2015. Searching for wrecks
off the Erie Islands, the Cleveland Underwater Explorers, a group of divers and
engineers, saw a blip on the sonar. Originally dismissed as a natural formation,
a year later, the team investigated the site and determined the small blip was
indeed a vessel. The National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio, has
been working to identify the ship ever since.
Carrying a hefty load of limestone in 1829, the Lake Serpent left Put-in-Bay, in the Erie Islands, heading towards Cleveland, Ohio. This would be the last time the ship set sail. On October 08, 1829, the Cleveland Weekly Herald reported the ship had not been seen for four weeks. There is still no definitive answer of what happened to the Sea Serpent or even if the wreck found is indeed the Sea Serpent. Clues found at the wreck indicating it may truly be the Sea Serpent include carving in the bow, size and build of the schooner, and the rough limestone cargo.
The location of the shipwreck was unknown until 2015. Searching for wrecks
off the Erie Islands, the Cleveland Underwater Explorers, a group of divers and
engineers, saw a blip on the sonar. Originally dismissed as a natural formation,
a year later, the team investigated the site and determined the small blip was
indeed a vessel. The National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio, has
been working to identify the ship ever since.
