Shipwreck Found: Divers Locate Missing Shipwreck In Great Lakes
A shipwreck found in the Great Lakes is suspected to be Le Griffon, which is considered to be the holy grail of wrecks lost in the Great Lakes. The ship sunk in 1679 and has been missing for more than 300 years, according to The Inquisitr. But divers Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe say they believe they found the Griffon, and Dykstra said he was four feet away from it.
“We were literally in the water for a couple of hours when we got a hit on the sonar … When I was down there, I turned around and I was literally four feet from this shipwreck and I never saw it on my way down, so my return trip was quite fast.”
The Griffon is only one of 2,000 shipwrecks in Lake Michigan, but none have been more sought after this gem. It was a French ship built by the explorer Le Salle. The Griffin disappeared in northern Lake Michigan during a storm on its maiden voyage after leaving Green Bay, Wisconsin. Kevin Dykstra says they have viewed the photos taken of the sunken vessel.
“It really wasn’t until we got back to a computer and viewed the photos that I realized I very well could have been photographing the Griffin … There’s no cables, no cabin and no smokestacks … It almost looked like the empty hull of a large canoe, and there were no mechanical devices of any kind in the debris.”
While the Le Griffon shipwreck may have been found, Dykstra and Monroe set out on a diving expedition three years ago. The divers say that if they had seen the same image on their sonar, they wouldn’t have given it a second thought to dive down and investigate it because it was so small, according to The Blaze. Through extensive research, and consultations with experts, Dykstra and Monroe have concluded that they, in fact, found the Griffin.
“We researched online to find a 17th-century French Griffin, and the one we came up with, I over-layed on top of the photo [I took of the Griffin carving on the front of the ship] and it was really impressive … So it’s either a 100-to-1 odds that the front of the ship looks exactly like a griffin, and I don’t know how that can happen by coincidence, and to know that the wood carvers that built the Griffin carved the likeness of a Griffin in the front of the ship, it kind of lends itself towards that.”
For Dykstra and Monroe, finding this ship wasn’t in their plans. In fact, both will tell you that this sunken vessel got in the way of what they were really searching for that day. Le Griffon shipwreck may have been found, they stumbled upon it as they were looking for $2 million dollars in gold bullion that is somewhere at the bottom of Lake Michigan. In the late 1800s, there were box cars crossing the Great Lakes, and some of those box cars were pushed off from car ferries that were hauling them to save the ferries in bad storms.
Dykstra and Monroe say $2 million of Confederate gold coins were being smuggled in one of those box cars that was shoved off the side of the ferry. During other dives in the area, Dykstra and Monroe have seen broken box cars laying at the bottom of Lake Michigan. They both feel they’re getting closer to solving a bigger mystery than the Griffin.
Dykstra and Monroe say that they waited three years to go public with their discovery of the Griffin because they wanted to contact as many experts as possible to review their pictures and video, and do enough research to make sure.
As the Le Griffon shipwreck may have been found, it comes with a prize. Le Griffon was constructed and launched near Cayuga Creek on the Niagara River as a seven-cannon, 45-ton barque. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on the Le Griffon’s maiden voyage on August 7, 2021 with a crew of 32, sailing across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored, notes USA Today. La Salle disembarked, and on September 18 sent the ship back toward Niagara. However, on its return trip from Green Bay, Wisconsin, it vanished with all six crew members and a load of furs.
Share this article
Related Ads
Comments
Popular in News
- Shipwreck Found: Divers Locate Missing Shipwreck In Great Lakes
- John Mayer Photoshop: Why did this singer use Photoshop on his image?
- Nicole Scherzinger Pulling Teeth: Singer Opens Up About Exercise Challenge
- Leo Vergara Gun Hospital: 18-Year-Old Arrested After Firing Gun In Hospital
- Woman Falls Off Ski Lift At Hunter Mountain Ski Resort
- Skid Row Sebastian Bach Engaged: Former Model Engaged To Bach On Birthday
- Bryant Wife Christmas Dress: Vanessa Bryant’s Holiday Dress Worth Thousands
- Sony Salary Leaks: Hackers Publish List Of Salaries In Latest Leaks
- Bloodhound Finds Boy: Police Bloodhound Locates Lost Child In Florida Woods
- Kaley Cuoco Surgery: Sinus Surgery Prompts Implant Speculation
- Sarah Palin Channel: Fans Of Palin Witness Wardrobe Malfunction On Channel
Editor's Picks
Trending on NEWSOXY.COM
- Sarah Palin Channel: Fans Of Palin Witness Wardrobe Malfunction On Channel
- Shipwreck Found: Divers Locate Missing Shipwreck In Great Lakes
- Kimberly Bird Stockton Theft: Holiday Theft Traces Bird With Arrest
- ISIS Albuquerque: Hackers Pose As ISIS Militants In Data Breach
- Kim Basinger: Hairdresser Seen Dating Kim Basinger In Hawaii
- Circumcision Herpes Baby: Fourth Case Blames Baby Procedure For Herpes
- Puppy Shot Otis McCulley: Neighbor Kills Puppy With For ‘Pooping’ In Yard
- Sharon Stone New Boyfriend: Actress Seen Kissing Boyfriend In Los Angeles
- Anger Management Ending Sheen: FX Declares Ending To Charlie Sheen Comedy Series
- Spain World Jackpot: Holiday Season Brings World’s Largest Jackpot
News Highlights
- Saudi Woman Arrested For Watching Soccer Game A Saudi woman was arrested for watching a soccer game Monday, but she didn't know women were prohibited from going to the male-only stadiums. The country enforces a strict segregation at t...
- Lisa Kudrow: Execs Should Know Better At Sony Pictures Lisa Kudrow says execs should know better for writing embarrassing emails, and there's no end in sight for the crises that hit Sony Pictures. Hackers compromised a vast amount of confid...
- Mom Dead In Fridge: Suspect Of Mom Found Murdered Arrested In Mexico The case involving a mom who was found dead in a fridge at the family's apartment, and a missing 11-month-old baby has taken a turn. Patrick Lambert, father of 11-month-old Achilles Lam...
- Aaron Kromer Tearful: NFL Team React To Kromer’s Tearful Statement The Aaron Kromer tearful apology to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was sincere, but some people thought it was over the top. The offense learned of the emotional apology made by K...
- Aide Stole From Shyamalan: Former Aide Stole 195 Items Using Credit Card An aide who stole from M. Night Shyamalan could be sent to prison for seven years for a third-degree felony in a $15,000 credit card case. Selma Nolan Cody pleaded guilty before Common ...
- Aberdeen 15-Pound Baby: Woman Delivers 15-Pound Baby In Washington Hospital An Aberdeen 15 pound baby is making news in Washington after the Birth Center at Grays Harbor Community Hospital couldn't believe their eyes. The average newborn baby weighs 7-1/2 pound...
- TNT Announces Rizzoli & Isles Renewed For Season Six The Rizzoli & Isles renewed season has been confirmed by TNT following prolonged negotiations, while fans were worried about a cancellation. Starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, ...
- Eddie Rouse Pineapple Express Dies: Fans In Disbelief Over Rouse’s Death Eddie Rouse from Pineapple Express dies at age 60 of liver failure just weeks after filming a pilot for the HBO series Westworld in Utah. The versatile character actor stood out in such...
- Sharon Osbourne Jay Leno: One-Night Stand With Leno Before Ozzy Sharon Osbourne and Jay Leno had a fling before Ozzy Osbourne was in the picture, and it all happened more than three decades ago. She has been married to Ozzy for 31 years now, but Sha...
- Stacy Keibler Baby Photo Released; What A Cute Baby! See Picture Stacy Keibler's baby photo is touching as she shows her adorable girl to the world on her website, and fans can't get enough of her. The black-and-white photo, the first Keibler has eve...