Certainly not not without a lot more information but these are very compelling. [1][4] Beginning on Christmas Day, 1678, La Motte and Hennepin together with four of their men, went by snowshoe to a prominent Seneca chief who resided at Tagarondies[notes 2] a village about 75 miles (120km) east of Niagara[notes 3] and about 20 miles (32km) south of Lake Ontario. Wherever the Griffon is, if its in deep water somewhere, there are cannons near it, she says. That evidence? Le Griffon is considered by some to be the "holy grail of Great Lakes Shipwrecks" largely because it was the first sailing ship to cruise the Great Lakes. On the evening of 10th November 1975, Edmund Fitzgerald sank around 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. They sailed from the Straits of Mackinac to an island (either Washington Island or Rock Island)[1] located at the entrance of Green Bay. The state of Michigan has rules stipulating that artifacts found on state land, including the land at the bottom of the Great Lakes, are state property. It would be busted up, she said. In 2011, Michigan-based treasure hunters Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe found a shipwreck as they were searching for the $2 million in gold that, according to local legend, fell from a ferry. "[6] H. W. Beckwith says that in September 1678, La Salle "already had three small vessels on Lake Ontario, which he had made use of in a coasting trade with the Indians. The first full-size cargo ship to sail the inner Great Lakes, Le Griffon was built by explorer Robert de La Salle in 1679. Cathy Green, the executive director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, is also skeptical, calling it highly unlikely that its the Griffon and nearly impossible to definitively know because of the centuries of damage to shallow water wrecks from ice, storms and rising and falling lake levels. Shipwreck explorers, Jim Kennard and Roger Pawlowski located the shipwreck utilizing a high resolution Rochester, New York The battered remains of the Canadian schooner Ocean Wave, which capsized and eventually sank from a sudden and violent squall, has been found in the depths of Lake Ontario. There's no way," Henriksen said. [citation needed], La Salle arrived on 20 January 1679 from Fort Frontenac with the full rigging, anchors, chains, cordage, and cannon that were transported by barge, then salvaged and dragged 30 miles (48km) overland to the construction site. All rights reserved. Historian J. During his 20-year newspaper career, he covered public affairs, environmental issues and legal affairs for newspapers in New York and Michigan, winning a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a legislative corruption scandal. She was found by an aircraft belonging to the US Navy on 14th November 1975. Usually depicted as half lion and half eagle, this ancient beast is more than the sum of its parts. For Mr Libert, it's the realisation of a childhood dream, sparked by a history teacher who told him about the ship. In any case, Le Griffon was larger than any other vessel on the lakes at the time, and as far as contemporary reports can confirm, the first named vessel. Arriving at Fort Frontenac in late September, he had neither the time for nor the interest in building a vessel at Fort Frontenac to transport building materials, some of which he had recently obtained in France, to a site above Niagara Falls where he could build his new ship. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Pictured: Some of the wreckage. After launching, it sailed the Niagara River to Lake Ontario, onward to Lake Erie, then by way of the St. Clair River to Lake Huron and northward to St. Ignace, the Straits of Mackinac and, finally, Lake Michigan. also was the first ship to sail the Great Lakes. Some said that the Ottawas or Pottawatomies boarded her, murdered her crew, and then burned her. They again sounded their way through the narrow channel of the St. Clair River to its mouth where they were delayed by contrary winds until 24 August. The traders had collected 12,000 pounds (5,400kg) of furs in anticipation of the arrival of Le Griffon. That evidence? Long a subject of local lore and backed up with some convincing historical archival work and artifacts, including 16th century coins and several bodies, the Mississagi Straits wreck, which local Native oral tradition had named "the whiteman's ship," remains a strong candidate. Justin Windsor notes that Count Frontenac by 1 August 1673, "had already ordered the construction of a vessel on Ontario to be used as an auxiliary force to Fort Frontenac. With incredible strength, unfailing protective instincts, and a zero-tolerance policy against evil, it is the superhero of mythological creatures. In 2011, Michigan-based treasure hunters Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe found a shipwreck as they were searching for the $2 million in gold that, according to local legend, fell from a ferry. It was built with the intention of finding a route across the Great Lakes of North America to reach China and Japan. MARIE, CHEBOYGAN AND ALL POINTS. Newsroom Calendar Others say he did not return to Niagara until July. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Marie. They then set the ship on fire. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The Griffin disappeared returning from its maiden voyage in 1679 and was last seen struggling in a storm near what is now Washington Island in Wisconsin. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Several historical and genealogical references show the Griffin making such journeys in 1633 and 1634. According to legend, natives even cursed the ship. Navagio Beach in Greece is famous for its shipwreck. 2 is a much sought after shipwreck. When the wind suddenly veered to the southeast they changed course to avoid Presque Isle. [14] After years of legal squabbles the Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued a permit, and on 16 June 2013, an underwater pit was dug allowing US and French archeologists to examine the object for the first time. Most often described as a 45-ton barque, Le Griffon is considered the first full-sized sailing ship to ply the upper Great Lakes. This Virtual History Talk will feature Valerie van Heest, who's a Michigan historian, underwater explorer, and author, talking about the facts and legends surrounding the Le Griffon shipwreck . Le Griffon was a 40 foot long barque (sailing ship) with 7 cannons. Wirehaired pointing griffons are famously known as a 'supreme gundog.'. So you want to make a news show? Talia Lakritz. In July 2010 the Great Lakes Exploration Group issued a press release stating that they, the state of Michigan and France had reached agreement to co-operate in the next phase of an archaeological site assessment for identifying the shipwreck. [4], Le Griffon may or may not be considered the first ship on the Great Lakes, depending on what factors one deems necessary to qualify a vessel for that designation. In September 1679, French explorers loaded the boat with furs and left Green Bay. As for the pieces of wreckage Libert photographed, they cant be the Griffons because they would have broken to bits long, long ago if theyd been in shallow water battered by storms and ice for more than three centuries, van Heest says. They concluded it was likely a bowsprit dating from a ship hundreds of years old, although some think it was a common pound net stake used for fishing nets in the 19th century. I left school at 16 with six GCSEs - and became a self-made millionaire. A bowsprit discovered a few miles away in 2001 is another part of the vessel, they claim. I was mesmerized by what he was saying. French explorer Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle built the Griffin in 1679, but it was lost in Lake Michiganthe same year. The Liberts have since published their book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1649: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery.. The exact size and construction of Le Griffon is not known but many researchers believe she was a 45-ton barque. They hadn't sailed far before a storm picked up. An Antarctic explorer's ship has been discovered 106 years after it sank. When they arrived there La Motte and Hennepin had not yet returned. When a strong wind suddenly arose, they could not make it back to the ship. [4] They entered Lake St. Clair on 12 August, the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi, and named the lake after her. On its way back to Niagarafrom Green Bay, the Griffon disappeared with its entire crew and valuable cargo of furs commencing the centuries-long quest to discover its fate. That is my question. A 'cursed' shipwreck which sank almost 350 years ago has been identified in one of North America's Great Lakes, bringing to an end a maritime mystery. On its return trip from the island, said to be located in the mouth of the body of water which is now known as Green Bay, it vanished with all six crew members and its load of furs. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. Griffin is an English East India Company ship which sank in Sulu Sea near Basilan Island in 1761. We have been on the hunt for over 40 years systematically ferreting out the locations of this widely scattered wreck, he says, referring to his wife Kathie and himself. [8], Progress on Le Griffon was fraught with problems. 'She will sink beneath the deep waters and your blood shall stain the hands of those in whom you trusted!'. She carried a cargo of furs valued at from 50,000 to 60,000 francs ($10,000 $12,000) and the rigging and anchors for another vessel that La Salle intended to build to find passage to the West Indies. Carbon dating of the bowsprit places suggests an age range within a year of the sinking. In January of 1679, the Griffon's building party arrived at the mouth of Cayuga Creek on the Niagara River (about a mile from my high school) where the ship would be built. Their sonar caught a mass below, and Dykstra dove into the water to take video. the griffon shipwreck facts the griffon shipwreck facts. The 1633 journey left at Downs, England and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts on September 3. . 'It is just a matter of time before we achieve our goal. Its fate has been a puzzlement for maritime historians for more than three and a half centuries. A teacher from Ottawa named Roy Fleming, in the 1930s through the 1950s, expanded the investigation of this wreck that he firmly believed was the Griffon. General Ubilla's New Spain Fleet was composed of: 1 - The Capitana, Nuestra Seora de Regla, San Dimas y San Francisco Javier (Presumably a galleon). The Griffin - a ship that was 'cursed' by native tribesmen - has been identified nearly 350 years after it vanished, solving one of America's oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries. Le Griffon mysteriously went missing in 1679 and no one knows what happened between the time it was last seen until it was discovered three years ago, Libert said. (Wikipedia) The age could have proved if the plank came. [13] Originally discovered in 2001 near Poverty Island, Michigan sonar has shown an object approximately 40 by 18 feet (12.2 by 5.5m) (similar to the dimensions of Le Griffon) located under several feet of sediment. Le Griffon rode out a violent storm for four days and then on 18 September, the pilot Luc and five crew sailed under a favorable wind for the Niagara River with a parting salute from a single gun. Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. For the second time, they used a dozen men and ropes to tow Le Griffon over the rapids of the St. Clair River into lower Lake Huron. His conclusion: The remains of the ship Le Griffon in French sank in shallow water in the Huron Islands of northern Lake Michigan, northeast of Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the loss of all the crew members aboard. They sailed across the open water of Lake Erie whose shores were forested and "unbroken by the faintest signs of civilization". Shipwreck explorers Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski and A group of maritime history enthusiasts have the announced the discovery of the schooners Peshtigo and St. Andrews, lost in 1878 in northern Lake Michigan. Prince Harry shares struggles to be his 'authentic true self' growing up, saying he felt pressures to 'come As Prince Harry says he felt like the film 'the boy in the bubble' before having therapy, who was What will the next pandemic be? It was another vessel used by La Salle and Tonti, however, that was the first loss on 8 January 1679. Steve Libert, from the Great Lakes Exploration Group, said he is 99.9% certain . The two men did not bring up the nail on purpose, and they plan to return it to the state, said Dean Anderson, the state archaeologist for Michigan. Thirty Mile Point is an established location and fits better with the rest of the narrative. While smaller canoes were used on rivers and streams, lake canoes were more commonly larger vessels measuring up to about 35 feet (11m) long. The ship landed on an island in Lake Michigan where the local tribes had gathered with animal pelts to trade with the French. We have been on the hunt for over 40 years systematically ferreting out the locations of this widely scattered wreck, he says, referring to his wife, Kathie, and himself. Le Griffon - meaning 'The Griffin' - vanished during its maiden voyage in 1679 in one of the oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries in US history. The straight-line distance is about 75 miles (121km). Ive seen dozens and dozens of 100- to 150-year-old ships, and that is not a 350-year-old ship. By Michael Havis and Harry Howard For Mailonline, Published: 12:24 GMT, 16 June 2021 | Updated: 13:02 GMT, 16 June 2021. It just sparked my interest and I started researching more and more. But the ship vanished while delivering a valuable cargo of furs, amid rumours that she had been cursed by a prophet from the Iroquois tribe. The bowsprit is thespar running out from the bow (front) of a ship), He said: 'My interest began the day my teacher reached over and touched my shoulder, and said out loud in class, "maybe one day, someone in this class will find it. [8], Meanwhile, La Salle and Henri de Tonti, had departed Fort Frontenac in a second vessel some days after La Motte and Hennepin. Acknowledging that French archeologists side with Libert, she asks what they know about Native American fishing practices. The cursed shipwreck, the 'Griffin,' is an incredible find with the history and the tales associated with it till now. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. [4] They were navigating Le Griffon through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. 3 Griffon Vulture Amazing Facts. "Can we call this the Griffin? He put ashore near present-day Rochester, New York, and arrived at Tagarondies very shortly after La Motte and Hennepin had left. The photos were taken in 1997 from the roof of the cofferdam that surrounded the ship and kept it in a semi-dry environment. Experts suspect the ship was lost as a consequence of a severe storm. Menu viscount royal caravan. Related Article:Adolf Hitler's Lost German U-Boat Allegedly Has Dead Nazis Aboard Along With Gold, Treasure, Get HNGN's Top Stories Newsletter Everyweek. The male wirehaired pointer weighs around 50-70 lb, and the females are around 35-50 lb. Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Plan To Be Weighed By US Supreme Court, San Antonio Couple Allegedly Trained Their Dogs To Be Aggressive Before Air Force Veteran Gets Mauled to Death, Hungary Says Sweden Is Spreading Fake News Concerning Budapest Will Not Help Its NATO Bid, Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval-Ariana Madix Split: Raquel Leviss Admits Doing 1 Thing Amid Affair Rumors. Unless the Legislature acts, local taxpayers would then be saddled with those expenses. The Griffon has not been found, Wayne Lusardi, the state archaeologist in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says bluntly. All rights reserved (About Us). La Salle oversaw the laying of Le Griffon's keel and drove her first bolt. A couple in Charlevoix . The Le Griffon, a barque ship, was carrying bison and furs at the time it disappeared, Libert said. There is an excellent book written by Cris Kohl on the Griffon and the various discovery claims. The exact size and construction of Le Griffon is not known but many researchers believe she was a 45-ton barque. French historical documents and shipbuilding techniques, colonial-era maps, contemporary reports, what he says is a bowsprit retrieved from the wreckage, carbon-4 dating and underwater photographs of submerged parts of a vessel. Griffin was the name of a 17th-century ship known to have sailed between England and English settlements in Massachusetts. "When we had it looked at, they [the archaeologists] could tell that the nail was very old," Dykstra said. Welcome to the Coronation! Mr Libert said: 'Our extensive research and deciphering of historic documents led us precisely to the resting place of an undiscovered colonial-age ship.'. 1. The loss of the Griffon is one of the great mysteries of the Great Lakes. Read Also:Titanic Artifacts Found, New Discovery Mission "Like Opening a Treasure Box". 'If any of the latter was true the ship would rest in deeper water instead of shallow waters.'. Acknowledging that French archeologists side with Libert, she asks what they know about Native American fishing practices. The ship left Conneaut for Port Stanley, Ontario in late morning on Dec. 7, 1909 with a captain and . 2023 www.lenconnect.com. They also found a part of the ship that they said could be a mussel-covered griffin, the mythical beast carved onto the ship's bow. On September 18, 1679, the bark Griffon was sent back toward Fort Frontenac (a French trading post and military fort at the mouth of the Cataraqui River where the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario). Characteristics Physical Description While they were at times fitted with mast and sails, their primary propulsion was either oars or poles. Finding the wreck is the goal of most Great Lakes shipwreck hunters due to the notoriety, and they call it the Holy Grail amongst them. Updated. Le Griffon is considered by some to have been the first ship lost on the Great Lakes. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on Le Griffon's maiden voyage on 7 August 1679 with a crew of 32, sailing across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. [citation needed], A female Native informant who was of the tribe foiled the plans of hostile Senecas to burn Le Griffon as she grew on her stocks. Le Griffon may have been found by the Great Lakes Exploration Group but the potential remains were the subject of lawsuits involving the discoverers, the state of Michigan, the U.S. federal government, and the Government of France. [Shipwrecks Gallery: Secrets of the Deep]. Unexpectedly, a nail attached itself to the magnet, and the treasure hunters only discovered it later, once they were above water. "The [American] Indians told the captain not to sail out, to wait the storm out, but he wouldn't listen to them," Baillod said. Lost after 350 years, the cursed ship, The Griffin, went on a voyage that became one of the most legendary disappearances solved in modern times. CNS correspondents cover all aspects of Michigan state government. (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/2022/03/charlevoix-couple-offers-theory-on-mysterious-1679-shipwreck/). The accounts agree that this little vessel played a part in the building of Le Griffon. "Some would believe that the Griffon sank somewhere in Lake Michigan in the northern part of the lake and has yet to be found," explained Van Heest. When he and Monroe later reviewed the video, they realized it might be the Griffin. A ship that was 'cursed' by native tribesmen has been identified nearly 350 years after it vanished, solving one of America's oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries. Kids Encyclopedia Facts. The Griffon, built in 1679, sank that same year somewhere in the Great Lakes. La Salle followed the southern shore of the lake. In the Spring of 2021, veteran shipwreck hunters Joe Van Wagnen and Mark Gammage located the remains of the passenger/freight Propeller Challenge in northern Lake Huron. That would also put their forward progress on 8 January, at about 20 miles (32km) from Niagara. However, 36 years later in 1911, the Rosabelle was found again overturned and floating with no sign of any . The furs on board would have cost 640,000 in today's value, sinking with the vessel. He recounts his hunt and discovery in Le Griffon and the Huron Islands, 1679 (Mission Point Press), written with his wife. WWII German shipwreck found in Black Sea Airborne laser reveals hidden city in Cambodia The ship, commanded by the French explorer La Salle, was never seen again after setting sail in September.
