Divers Discover Decades Long Shipwreck That Is Still Clouded With Mystery And Superstitions

Divers discover decades-long shipwreck that is still clouded with mystery and superstitions. What lies at the bottom of the sea is something that has always intrigued many researchers. We don't know exactly what exists deep under the sea as our equipment often fails to dig deeper. Sailors and fishermen have always been exposed to incredibly threatening and unexpected experiences while at sea. Before modern technology, people used to rely solely on myths and superstitions to explain what goes on underwater. But this ship and its crew members had a first-hand experience that life at sea can indeed be unpredictable. Back in the year 1928, a steamboat disappeared after meeting with a heavy storm while transporting passengers and goods on Lake Huron. This was a mystery that loomed over the locals' heads for so many decades now. But this ship was discovered 90 years later after shipwreck hunters found the doomed ship at the bottom of the lake. However, this wasn't all there was to it. So what was the history of this steamboat? Well, it was back in June of 1888 when the S.S. Mikasa arrived in Hamilton, Ontario. This steamboat had been built that very same year by William Hamilton and Coen Glasgow, Scotland. This was supposed to be a different steamboat that had been specially made to be quite speedy and could reach a huge amount of distance in a short span of time. Well, to understand what the steamboat looked like, here are the dimensions. This steamboat was originally 155 feet long and just 24.1 feet wide. It wasn't meant to carry just goods and supplies, there was another use meant for this boat. Since it was specially built to transport people, the ship had been made able to travel very fast. So, after months of carefully shaping this boat to be what it became, the company that built it were done with its construction, and soon after reaching Ontario, the Hamilton Steamboat Company put the ship into service. They could hardly wait to see how the boat would perform as they had high hopes for it. This boat was meant for the summertime. So, pretty soon the boat started to function and would be used to carry people. The S.S. Mikasa functioned as a ferry that traveled on Lake Ontario, transporting vacationers, picking them up in Hamilton, and taking them to Burlington Beach. This ferry was used throughout the summer months and was indeed a useful means of transport for a lot of people during its time. So, just as expected and anticipated, the S.S. Mikasa successfully transported a lot of folks through the sea at high speed. In the following few decades, the Mikasa would go on to successfully serve as a ferry for vacationers at the same time carrying cargo between Toronto and Hamilton. It was making a lot of money and proved to be very popular. The ship continued to serve as a powerful means of transport. For many decades, it became one of the most prominent ways people traveled from Toronto and Hamilton. There was also a point in time when the ship was rebuilt for additional length, so that even more passengers and cargo could be added and transported. It was indeed useful. Since the steamboat was able to house so many people and goods and transport them quicker than most of the boats during that time, it was truly sought after by many. And so, over 39 years, the S.S. Mikasa had been owned and operated by the Hamilton Steamboat Company. The company made a lot profit by transporting people and cargo, but then a change came. Even though the Mikasa was at the height of its popularity, a change came up. By the year 1928, the S.S. Mikasa was sold by the Hamilton Steamboat Company. So, who ended up buying it? Well, the ship went to the Owens Sound Transportation Company. They decided to give the boat a new name and rebrand a little. And so, after being bought by the new owners, the Owens Sound Transportation Company decided to make a few changes of their own. And so, after the change in ownership, the ship was renamed the S.S. Manassou. After this, the steamboat was soon transported from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron. There were other changes that followed too. So, when the ship was taken to Lake Huron, the Manassou was given a brand new responsibility. What was the new job? Well, the ship was now made to do daily runs on Lake Huron between the Manitoulin Island and the Salt St. Mary area, which was also named the S.S. Sou. This was a brand new journey for the ship that had been in service for over three decades now. And so, if you were curious to know why the ship was given this name, well, there's a perfectly good explanation. The ship's new name actually has meaning behind it. You see, the name Manassou was a combination of the two new destinations it would travel across. The owners thought the name fits the ship better than the previous one. And so, after being taken over by the new owners, the ship had a brand new name and a brand new destination. When new owners moved the vessel to Lake Huron from Lake Ontario in early 1928, they changed the name to Manassou. Maritime historian Chris Cole had revealed in a statement he gave when he was interviewed, it was an exciting time for the ship indeed. And so, when the ownership changed, it was a time when the Manassou was having a lot of things to look forward to. There were even higher hopes for the ship than there were in its previous years of being in service. As expected, during the first season of its service under new ownership, the ship indeed enjoyed great success. Everything was looking up for the ship. But even though so much success was tasted in its first season of service, the ship soon caught up with dark times. Something terrible happened to the ship while on a trip in early September of 1928. When the records were checked, the ship was supposed to be traveling from Canada's Manitoulin Island to ship a huge amount of cargo. The ship was on high demand, getting so many tourists and travelers, plus shipping cargo back and forth. It had been carrying 21 crew members at the time and passengers alongside. Little did the crew know that it would be the final voyage. To add to all that was being carried already, the ship also carried a cargo of 116 cattle and a pristine 1927 Chevrolet Coupe. The ship was used to carry all of these and was estimated to have taken very little time to get to its destination. So, all in all, the cargo that the ship had on board was estimated to weigh around 60 tons. This was a very heavy load indeed. And so, for a ship meant to transport people and cargo, it was a little different to carry livestock on board. So, who was the owner of the cargo of cattle and the Chevrolet Coupe? Well, all of these belonged to Donald Wallace. He was one of the passengers on the ship that trip. He was the businessman who had made quite a plan for himself and a business. So, what was this plan and why was he shipping the cattle? Well, after buying the cattle, Wallace made a plan to transport the herd from Manitoulin to the mainland. And when he reached the mainland, he was planning to sell the cattle for a profit. He knew the cows were of a superior quality, so he knew they would easily sell. So, what Wallace did was quite a huge risk. He literally spent most of his money in the hopes that the cattle would help them make a profit. In all, he bought about $5,600 worth and had only about $300 left in his pocket at the end of the buying spree. An account of what happened on the fateful day Trouble Struck had written, The way the cattle had been loaded on the ship was indeed poorly planned. The cows he'd taken with him were loaded onto the main deck into four pens. There was enough space for these cows to turn around, which was a terrible thing to do. They hadn't made sure the cows were properly maintained. Hence, there was about to be an accident. And even though you might be thinking that Wallace was wrong to have taken such poor care of his cattle, how was he to know? His trip on the Manisou was the first time he'd ever shipped cattle on a ship, which basically meant that Wallace was not at all equipped. This was Wallace's very first experience to transport cattle by boat, the account further revealed. The account further also explained, He noticed that unlike transport by railway boxcars where the bedding was hay, bedding on the Manisou was sawdust, pen slats were not nailed to posts, they were tied and knotted with rope to metal stanchions, and pens had two plank slats instead of four or five. He said nothing as he figured the crew knew what they were doing. So, as the time came for the ship to start its voyage, no one expected things to go wrong. They all assumed that the journey would go smoothly. Then, the Manisou and the precious cargo left Manitoulin Island as of September 14th, 1928. The ship was on its way towards Owen Sound, but unfortunately, it met with a tragic storm. And this was not a pretty storm either. It was unfortunate that the ship had an encounter with such a harsh storm, which was a sign that trouble was ahead. And the condition was such that gusty winds and large waves were hitting the boat constantly. This resulted in the ship starting to lean too far to one side, and it immediately sank at 2 a.m. on September 15th. Since the crew was not prepared to have encountered such a bad storm, everything started to fall apart. And so, Captain John McKay started to realize what was happening. He had to act quick, so he headed towards a nearby island in a desperate attempt to save everyone. Unfortunately, the ship sank even before it could get close to the island. And so, there was no chance for the captain to have been able to save the ship as the sinking was so immediate. The events that followed happened within approximately three minutes. Firstly, the captain realized that something was very wrong, sent the first mate below to find out what was happening. A local newspaper had posted regarding the ship in 1928. This was such a devastating time for the people on board as there was no certainty whether they'd make it or not. The captain tried his best to come up with a plan to save everyone. Before the mate got back on the bridge, the captain had swung the wheel towards land, hoping to beach the ship on the island, the article later explained. But nothing seemed to have made a difference to fix the problem. Everything came crashing down in a matter of minutes. Before any headway was made, however, the engine stopped. Water pouring into the engine room had put out the fires. The mate, on getting back on deck after seeing the ship was doomed, ordered the lifeboats lowered, the article described. And before the crew could do anything, the damage was already too much. They were able to lower just one lifeboat. Since the ship sank within just three minutes, they could only get one lifeboat ready. So, in the end, the crew was unable to save everyone and everything on board, some who survived. The captain, four sailors, and one passenger, Donald Wallace, were the only ones left alive. After the terrible accident took place, the group had to be forced to drift in the life raft for 60 hours before they could be helped. They were fortunate because they were finally saved by a passing steamboat. But another tragedy struck during this time. One of the survivors, Chief Engineer Thomas McCutcheon, passed away due to exposure to the elements. The sinking of the Manassou was indeed a tragic moment of grave proportions. There were quite a few rescue teams that went to look for survivors. No quest devoted to the saving of human lives was ever carried out more unselfishly and more faithfully. A local historian, William Fox, had stated regarding this incident in 1952. To the deep regret of all who were engaged in it, not another survivor of the disaster was found. There have been countless superstitions on the topic of this unfortunate happening. The location of this sunken ship was a mystery also for a long time, too. In 2018, maritime historian Chris Cole and shipwreck hunters Cam Merriman and Jerry Eliason found the ship 200 feet underwater. Over the past 90 years, the ship had remained untouched at the bottom of Lake Huron, off the coast of Griffith Island in Ontario. They found the boat covered in mussels, but there was absolutely no sign of animal or human remains. It's very rare to see a car, an automobile, on a shipwreck, Cole explained. The very unique thing about the wreck of the Manassou is that it sits on the lake bottom at the very same dramatic angle at which it sank, Merriman further stated. The stern is embedded up to its railing in the soft bottom while the bow points up towards the surface, rising high above the lake bottom. Many theories rose regarding the reason behind the ship's sinking, the first being that Manassou was under a curse after having new owners. There's a long-held superstition among sailors that if someone changes the name of a ship, that person and or that ship will encounter bad luck, the shipwreck hunters were quoted. Under its new name, the vessel lasted less than one year before sinking with tragic results in September of 1928. The Manassou proved to be a classic example of the bad luck that will plague a vessel after its name has been changed. Another reasonable explanation for the ship to sink was that the extension made the ship unsteady after being added to the ship. Hence, when the ship met with the harsh winds and strong currents, it ended up leaning and leaned too far, making the cattle shift the weight on deck to one side. The second theory is more widely accepted, but no one knows for sure what became of the ship and why it sank so quickly.