Low water at Lake Erie exposes possible shipwreck
A hidden shipwreck might have been found in Lake Erie, exposed by abnormally low water levels on the Ohio side of the lake. The apparent wreck was spotted after a blizzard swept across the Midwest and created a seiche, or a tidal-like phenomenon, Michigan Live reported.
A seiche is usually caused by strong winds that push water from one side of a body of water to another. In Lake Erie, water from Toldeo, Ohio traveled to Buffalo, New York. This meant that the lake’s Michigan and Ohio sides experienced low water levels, while the New York side had high water levels.
Water levels in Buffalo rose by 41⁄2 feet. In Toledo, water levels receded by 51⁄2 feet, Michigan Live reported.
Pictures of Cullen Park in the Point Place neighborhood of Toledo posted by the Huron County Ohio Weather Facebook page showed a barren Lake Erie.
In a follow-up post, Huron County Weather featured an image of what appeared to be a shipwreck, exposed by the low water levels.
In another post, WTOL chief meteorologist Chris Vickers uploaded pictures of the exposed shipwreck and what appeared to be two cannons.
It has not been confirmed whether the items found were cannons or were parts of a wrecked ship. In an interview with WTOL, National Museum of the Great Lakes archaeology director Carrie Sowden cast doubt on the discovery.
“From the photos I looked at last night, and there were just a couple, I saw a lot of straight lines (on the structure), which to me says more pier/ dockage than ship,” Sowden told WTOL. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a ship, it just means that’s my first impression.”