PRESQUE ISLE, MI – On a foggy night 170 years ago, two ships sailing on Lake Huron collided, causing fatal damage to both, records say.
On Oct. 20, 1854, the John J. Audubon was sailing north, headed for Chicago, with a load of iron railroad tracks, according to the NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Defiance, carrying a load of corn and wheat, was sailing southbound. It was around 1:30 a.m. when Defiance emerged from the fog and darkness and struck Audubon’s midsection.
The collision cut a hole deep in Audubon’s hull, and it sank quickly, records say. Defiance was fatally damaged but struggled on before sinking a few miles away.
Both crews survived.
Two-masted schooners John J. Audubon and Defiance collided around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 20, 1854, resulting in both ships sinking to the bottom of Lake Huron. Audubon rests under 170 feet of water while Defiance is at a depth of 185 feet. Both are intact and upright.NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Today, the wooden two-masted schooners rest intact and upright at the bottom of the Great Lake, records say. Audubon is under 170 feet of water at GPS coordinates N45°17.331′ W83°20.351′. Defiance is under 185 feet of water at GPS coordinates N45° 14.058′ W83° 16.707′.
Going down in 1854, the wrecks were part of the costliest season on the Great Lakes to date: 119 lives and 70 ships lost, plus $2 million in property losses, records say.