The Hub September 2015 | Page 11

There are more than 1000 known shipwrecks throughout the Great Lakes Today the Clarion lies at the bottom of Lake Erie in 70 feet of water, approximately 12 miles from the shores of Wheatley. It was lost on December 8, 1909, and 15 of the 21 crew members perished in the storm. Pieces of machinery, planking and other distinguishable items can still be made out a century later. It is just one of more than 200 shipwrecks in Lake Erie and more than a thousand throughout the Great Lakes. Within 10 miles of Point Pelee alone there are more than a dozen different known wrecks. At one time the Detroit River was also home to many such relics as its islands and shallow waters were difficult to navigate. On the north shore there is a veritable boneyard of ships that sank in the river. According to Peter Berry, the harbourmaster at the Port of Windsor, shipwrecks litter the river but the main channel is void of them due to river dredging. Before shipwrecks were declared archeological sites, the dredging pulled up many pieces of sunken vessels and deposited them on the banks. Today if they ran into one, they