Emily Chan
During the summer of 2021, researchers stumbled across a shipwreck when they were searching the lakebed for unusual shapes. The vessel happened to be the wooden steamship Adella Shores.
Its wreckage was located approximately 40 miles northwest of Michigan’s Whitefish Point, and it was under 650 feet of water.
On May 1, 1909, the Adella Shores had been trailing behind a larger ship across Lake Superior, which was covered with ice at the time.
After sailing around Whitefish Point, the Adella Shores, along with its 14 crew members, mysteriously disappeared. It is assumed that everyone onboard died in the accident.
More than a century later, the wreck has been discovered with the help of advanced technology. Researchers had been using side-scan sonar underwater when they spotted something on the sonar imagery.
They then used a remote-operated vehicle with cameras to get a closer look at their discovery. That was when they confirmed it was the Adella Shores.
The steamer was 195 feet long and was built in 1894 in Gibraltar, Michigan, for the Shores Lumber Company. It was named after the owner’s daughter, Adella.
During ceremonial christenings of new ships, a bottle of champagne or wine is usually broken against the hull to ensure good fortune and safe passage.
However, a bottle of water was smashed against the hull of the Adella Shores because the family was strict about alcohol. Some may say it was a foreshadowing of the misfortune that befell the ship.
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