The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) has announced the discovery of the 144-foot Barquentine Nucleus. The Nucleus was found under 600 feet of water around 40 miles northwest of Vermilion point on Lake Superior.

The Nucleus sank on September 14^th, 1869, during a storm when it was downbound from Marquette carrying a load of iron ore. When the ship started to take on water, the crew abandoned the vessel and escaped in their lifeboat. They were rescued by the schooner Worthington, with no loss of life.

The Shipwreck Society discovered the Nucleus using a Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar in the summer of 2021, and positively identified the wreck in 2022 using the organization’s ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle). Darryl Ertel Jr., the director of marine operations for GLSHS, said the ship is in good condition, with the straight back stern and port side still intact.

The sinking of the Nucleus wasn’t its first accident. The ship had already sunk twice, and in 1854, rammed and sank the side-wheeler S.S. Detroit in Lake Huron. The 1869 sinking made the Nucleus one of the oldest ships to go down along Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast.