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Griffin Shipwreck - National Museum [12] A number of sunken old sailing ships have been suggested to be Le Griffon but, except for the ones proven to be other ships, there has been no positive identification. turtix/Shutterstock. Thirty Mile Point is an established location and fits better with the rest of the narrative. He walked right behind me and put his hand on my shoulder and said, Perhaps someone in this class will find it someday. I was listening to every word, says Libert, now 67. The Griffin, which disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679, has been called the 'holy grail' for shipwreck hunters probing North America's Great Lakes. All Rights Reserved. "They lost the ship from sight," Baillod said, "and that's the last anybody has ever seen the Griffin.". Many authors since Mansfield have followed suit. Griffon (1679) - WI Shipwrecks For Mr Libert, it's the realisation of a childhood dream, sparked by a history teacher who told him about the ship. Shipwreck hunters solve mystery of the missing Griffin: Wreckage of 'The distance of 3.8 miles between the bowsprit and main sections highly suggests the Indians did not sink it either, nor did La Salle's men mutiny and sink the ship. On 8 January 1679, the pilot and crew decided to spend the night ashore where they could light a fire and sleep in some warmth. They fly at an altitude of 4,900 and 11,500 feet. 'Father Louis Hennepin said it was lost in a violent storm. The Griffin was last seen struggling off Washington Island and was never heard from again. At noon the waves ran so high, and the lake became so rough, as to compel them to stand in for land. Megan SampTickets can be bought online or at Studio C in Okemos. The ship was lost on the return leg of her maiden voyage due to a violent boiler A rare daggerboard schooner, Three Brothers, has been discovered in deep water off Oswego, New York by a team of shipwreck enthusiasts. It would be awesome if true, she says, a story shed love the museum to be able to tell visitors, with the aura of amateur treasure-hunting and Indiana Jones. From there they struck out across the lake toward the mouth of the Niagara River. Each November, the East Lansing Film Festival showcases independent films. "We like to turn the sonar on and just go to places that we haven't been before, and just try and see what we can find down there," Dykstra said. La Salle seized two of the deserters and sent Tonti with six men to arrest two more at Sault Ste. 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). Its discovery is credited to wreck hunters Stevie and Kathie Libert for the record. 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. Has The Le Griffon been found? - Shipwreck World Le Griffon was the largest fixed-rig sailing vessel on the Great Lakes up to that time,[3] and led the way to modern commercial shipping in that part of the world. Where are the cannons? It was another vessel used by La Salle and Tonti, however, that was the first loss on 8 January 1679. "The [American] Indians told the captain not to sail out, to wait the storm out, but he wouldn't listen to them," Baillod said. Lake Michigan shipwreck may be 335-year-old Le Griffon, researcher Some said that the Ottawas or Pottawatomies boarded her, murdered her crew, and then burned her. The Griffon was the first ship ever to sail the Great Lakes, originally built to haul furs from the Green Bay area to Detroit. Only then did the Liberts and the Great Lakes Exploration Group discover that the bowsprit was separate from the remainder of the vessel. The Griffin - or Le Griffon - was a sailing ship built on the Niagara River in the 1670s French explorer Robert de La Salle hoped to use it to find the Northwest Passage to China and Japan It. It dragged anchor and ran aground near Thirty Mile Point on Lake Ontario, where it broke apart. It has become one of the most sought after and perhaps one of the most "found" shipwrecks in the Great Lakes! Griffin Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com Heres how it works. If it exists in the physical world, we think it will be there in deep water, she says. 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. [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. Griffon Vulture Bird Facts | Gyps fulvus - AZ Animals FOR ALPENA, DETROIT, IRON MOUNTAIN, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. That is my question. The Griffin sank to the murky depths of. 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. 'What I suspected was a ship was confirmed by me during a dive in September 2018. @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. 2023 www.lenconnect.com. Is Joe Biden Sick? The ship was a work of art, featuring a majestic griffin (half lion, half eagle) figurehead on its front and an eagle on its stern. It just sparked my interest and I started researching more and more. French explorer Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle built the Griffin in 1679, but it was lost in Lake Michiganthe same year. He recounts his hunt and discovery in Le Griffon and the Huron Islands, 1679 (Mission Point Press), written with his wife. They hadn't sailed far before a storm picked up. Like Le Griffon, the steamship Marquette and Bessemer No. The captain lost control of the ship as strong winds blew it away from shore, southward, toward islands in the distance. It's not clear what led to the ship's sinking more than 340 years ago. TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan -- Steven J. Libert had been looking for the ship, Le Griffon, for 42 years. [1][2], Hennepin's first account says she was a vessel of about 45 tons; his second says 60 tons. 4 Famous Shipwrecks Still Waiting to be Discovered - HISTORY All of those people have been wrong including Libert she says. He recounts his hunt and discovery in Le Griffon and the Huron Islands, 1679 (Mission Point Press), written with his wife. [1][4] The exact size and construction of Le Griffon is not known. Found? The Holy Grail of the Great Lakes - duluthreader.com La Salle was convinced that the captain and his crew had staged a coup, destroyed the ship, and seized all of the furs on the boat. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. The ship left Conneaut for Port Stanley, Ontario in late morning on Dec. 7, 1909 with a captain and . She was the largest sailing vessel on the Great Lakes up to that time. 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.. The entire 29-member crew went down with it in what has become the greatest Great Lakes Shipping Tragedy of all time. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Its exact size and construction isn't known, but it was armed with seven cannons and at the time was the largest sailing vessel on the Great Lakes. The Liberts' book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery, is available via Amazon for 24.69. 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. The other wreckage has been approximately dated to between 1632 and 1682. The divers who discovered the wreck believe it to be the Griffin, an exploration ship laden with furs, cannon, muskets and shipyard supplies that went down in a storm in 1679 in Lake Michigan, on . Experts suspect the ship was lost as a consequence of a severe storm. If it exists in the physical world, we think it will be there in deep water, she says. The Le Griffon, a barque ship, was carrying bison and furs at the time it disappeared, Libert said. More than 5,000 ship wrecks are scattered throughout the Great Lakes, and Porter said the Le Griffon is the most precious one. On the evening of 10th November 1975, Edmund Fitzgerald sank around 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. Francis Parkman says that by 1677, "four vessels of 25 to 40 tons had been built for the lake Ontario and the river St. That is simply not true.. [Shipwrecks Gallery: Secrets of the Deep]. According to historical sources, the vessel left England carrying packs of clothing and private trade on its way to Canton, China where it was loaded with cargo composed mostly of tea. [4] La Salle dressed in a scarlet cloak bordered with lace and a highly plumed cap, laid aside his arms in charge of a sentinel and attended mass with his crew in the chapel of the Ottawas and then made a visit of ceremony with the chiefs. Treasure Hunters Find Mysterious Shipwreck in Lake Michigan - Yahoo! News The two treasure hunters were taking measurements of the ship when Dykstra's magnet, tethered to his scuba gear, picked up an object that few people have ever seen: a hand forged nail that dates back to 1679. [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. The wreck's discoverers agree that more evidence is needed. 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. We asked the experts - and their answers will terrify you Five unexpected signs in your 20s and 30s you're at risk of developing heart disease later in life. Local shipwreck explorer Valerie van Heest spent a week on Manitoulin Island in August of 2018 searching for Le Griffon. 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. Images of the severely dilapidated wreckage show it lying on the bed of Lake Michigan, This image shows the ship's keelson - the structure which fastens a ship's floor timbers to its keel. After Griffin sank, it was a ghost ship with the souls of the sailors heard chanting by anyone who could see the ship sailing in the moonlight. They dragged the materials to the mouth of the Niagara, rested and warmed up a few days in an Indian village, then carried the materials single file through the snow to their settlement above the falls. So, if the Griffons final resting place isnt where Libert believes it to be, where is it? Le Griffon was constructed and launched at or near Cayuga Island on the Niagara River and was armed with seven cannons. Creating a fur trade monopoly with the Native Americans would finance his quest and building Le Griffon was an "essential link in the scheme". Charlevoix couple offers theory on mysterious 1679 shipwreck I left school at 16 with six GCSEs - and became a self-made millionaire. 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. 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. Discovery of French ship Le Griffon in Great Lakes prompts Michigan Libert says the evidence hes amassed pinpoints where the wreckage of the 40- to 45-ton ship now rests: in shallow water near Poverty Island and Summer Island. Alpena County reference. [1] The French flag flew above the cabin placed on top of the main deck that was elevated above the hull. Now after more than 40 years of searching, Charlevoix diver Steve Libert says hes 99.99% sure he found the answer, and he tells how in a new book. Two divers say they have found "Le Griffon," a 17th-century sailing ship widely considered the "holy grail" of shipwrecks. ', 'The Seneca were in awe of the French for having built such a large canoe. The nonprofit was created in 1997 and remains the longest running film festival in Michigan. La Salle sent Tonti ahead on 22 July 1679 with a few selected men, canoes, and trading goods to secure furs and supplies. 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. Website User Guide So you want to make a news show? Negotiations with the Senecas were only moderately successful, so when they left the village they still wondered if the natives would permit them to finish their project. 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 crossing Lake Michigan in the 1800s, they told WZZM, a western Michigan news station. The remains of the 300-year-old ship known as Le Griffon the first European vessel known to have traversed the waters of the upper Great Lakes have proved so tricky to find as to become the stuff of legends, even prompting Atlas Obscura to dub the wreck the "white whale for Great Lakes shipwreck hunters."The location of the ship's final resting place isn . Griffin shipwreck: Scientists say timber in Lake Michigan centuries old Libert added the wooden timbers of the ship show no evidence of damage done by fire. A bit of history: The Griffon was built in 1679 and launched that year, believed to be the largest ship on the Great Lakes. 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. He was more successful in securing the Indians' tolerance of his proposed "big canoe" and support buildings. In September 1679, French explorers loaded the boat with furs and left Green Bay. It would be awesome if true, she says, a story shed love the museum to be able to tell visitors, with the aura of amateur treasure-hunting and Indiana Jones. About 1,500 shipwreckshave been found on the bottom of Lake Michigan, Anderson said, and it's unclear whether this one is the Griffin. But even now, the Liberts are prevented by the State of Michigan from conducting an in-depth excavation. 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. While they recognize that conclusive evidence has not been found, the evidence that has been found there fits with what is known of the history of that time and they postulate that if Le Griffon is found elsewhere, that would deepen the mystery of the find by Cullis.[22]. The Mysterious Shipwreck of Le Griffon | Expedition Unknown Local explorer featured on Discovery Channel search for lost shipwreck 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. It is not clear if the ship had advanced west after the departure of La Salle and Tonti. The loss of the Griffon is one of the great mysteries of the Great Lakes. [4] La Salle left Italian officer Henri de Tonti and Father Hennepin in charge while he journeyed to Fort Frontenac to secure replacements for lost supplies. Zebra mussels cover what may be a griffin on the bow of the ship. Menu viscount royal caravan. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. They reached Niagara again on 14 January. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 1. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. 2 - The Almiranta, Santo Cristo de San Roman, Nuestra Seora del Rosario y San Jose (Presumably a galleon). La Salle followed the southern shore of the lake. 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 6 December, they landed safely on the east bank of the river at about where Lewiston, New York is today. [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. Richard Gross. I thought, I gotta find this ship. The story my history teacher proceeded to tell immediately caught my full attention and like most young men, stirred the imagination of early exploration in an unknown country. It was the first big ship to sail the Great Lakes. LaSalle's Griffon has not been found. Their inefficiency at beating to windward made them impractical as sailing vessels, and they were not very safe in open water. "The Great Lakes are a time capsule, the fresh water preserves the ship wreck," Porter said. Usually depicted as half lion and half eagle, this ancient beast is more than the sum of its parts. CNS correspondents cover all aspects of Michigan state government. Green and Ken Vrana, the principal of Maritime Heritage Consulting, advocate an independent assessment by professionals. The Ruppell's griffon vulture is Critically Endangered. Her adventure is set be featured on national television as part of an hour . This was a "great bark" (Hennepin's words) of about 20 tons burden[8] although Tonti's journal says this was a 40-ton vessel. Rather, it may be the remnants of a tugboat that was scrapped after "steam engines became more economical to operate," said Brendon Baillod, a Great Lakes historian who has written scholarly papers on the Griffin. However, Dykstra said they've been advised to not disclose where they found the wreck in order tohelp preserve what's left of the ship. Le Griffon was the first ship of thousands to disappear in our upper Great Lakes, Libert, president of Great Lakes Exploration Group LLC, told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. According to Father Louis Hennepin, one of them was caught in a violent storm and never survived, notedthe Daily Mail. the griffon shipwreck facts The comments below have not been moderated. According to Mr and Mrs Libert, The Griffin is a good match for wreckage found in 2018 near Poverty Island, Lake Michigan. "When we had it looked at, they [the archaeologists] could tell that the nail was very old," Dykstra said. The Holy Grail of Great Lakes shipwrecks is Le Griffon, the first European-style ship built by explorer Robert De La Salle that is believed to have sank in Lake Michigan in a storm in 1679.. Others say he did not return to Niagara until July. Several French explores built the exploratory vessel Ren-Robert Cavalier and Sieur de La Salle. The furs on board would have cost 640,000 in today's value, sinking with the vessel. A 2015 book The Wreck of the Griffon by Cris Kohl and Joan Forsberg argues that the best "discovery" proposed to date remains the 1898 find by Albert Cullis, lighthouse keeper on the western edge of Manitoulin Island in northern Lake Huron. The loss of the Griffon is one of the great mysteries of the Great Lakes. 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. Your comment will appear after being approved. Ive seen dozens and dozens of 100- to 150-year-old ships, and that is not a 350-year-old ship. Megan SampVoters at the Hannah Community Center share why voting matters to them. He continued exploring the Mississippi River until his murder in Texas in 1687. Libert became instantly fascinated by the Griffon mystery as a 14-year-old student in Dayton, Ohio, where he first heard from a teacher about the missing ship with its figurehead of a griffon, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. myth bird lion hippogriff griffin, also spelled griffon or gryphon, composite mythological creature with a lion's body (winged or wingless) and a bird's head, usually that of an eagle. Mr Libert then spent two years sifting through satellite imagery before he made a breakthrough. [18] Steve and Kathie Libert have since published a book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands - 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery (Mission Point Press, 2021). By Michael Havis and Harry Howard For Mailonline, Published: 12:24 GMT, 16 June 2021 | Updated: 13:02 GMT, 16 June 2021. Test yourself with this Cockney Rhyming Slang quiz. 175 Year Old Great Lakes Atlas Schooner Located in Lake Ontario, Early 1800s Dagger-board Schooner Three Brothers Discovered in Lake Ontario, 1926 Steamship Nisbet Grammer Discovered in Lake Ontario, 158 year old Canadian Schooner Royal Albert Discovered in Lake Ontario, Mid-Nineteenth Century Canadian Schooner Ocean Wave Discovered by Shipwreck Explorers, Major Shipwreck Discovery in Lake Michigan. Steve Libert diving on the ship in 2018. Other experts insist Liberts absolutely wrong. That would also put their forward progress on 8 January, at about 20 miles (32km) from Niagara. Great Lakes' shipwrecks and the intriguing stories behind them - cleveland 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. On a subsequent dive, Dykstra took a magnet with him to help determine the metal composition of the ship. LOCAL COURT FUNDING: A quarter of local trial court funding is set to expire in 2024 or even earlier if the state Supreme Court says judges cant continue to impose costs on convicted criminal defendants. Joe Porter, publisher for Wreck Diving Magazine, has penned articles on famous ship wrecks including the Titanic, but saidthe Griffon is the most fascinating. What's Happening in Northern Michigan: Oryana Cooking Class, Le Griffon MARIE, CHEBOYGAN AND ALL POINTS. [1][4], The site La Salle had selected for building Le Griffon has conclusively been identified as at or near the mouth of Cayuga Creek, at Cayuga Island. Possibly a cannon, hopefully with the date stamped on it.' Already have an account? He was planning to map the Great Lakes, initially thinking they might be a connecting gateway to the Orient. So, if the Griffons final resting place isnt where Libert believes it to be, where is it? [8], La Salle's men first had to build their lodging and then guard against the Iroquois who were hostile to this invasion of their ancient homeland. Valerie van Heest, a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, says, There have been 30 or more discoveries of the Griffon dating back to early 1800s. Libert says the evidence hes amassed pinpoints where the wreckage of the 40- to 45-ton ship now rests: in shallow water near Poverty Island and Summer Island. the griffon shipwreck facts. He says that the ship must have been caught in a four-day storm, where the ship part found farther away would have broken off due to a powerful storm. Valerie van Heest, a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, says, There have been 30 or more discoveries of the Griffon dating back to early 1800s. Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens located the schooner in early July utilizing high resolution On June 20th 1874 the two masted scow schooner Shannon let loose her lines from the coal dock at the port of Oswego. It wanted to sail across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through waters only canoes had previously explored. Ive seen dozens and dozens of 100- to 150-year-old ships, and that is not a 350-year-old ship. Le Griffon was constructed and launched at or near Cayuga Island on the Niagara River and was armed with seven cannons. The ship was righted and brought back to the port in Milwaukee and returned to service. The Wilhelm Gustloff (1945): The deadliest shipwreck in history On January 30, 1945, some 9,000 people perished aboard this German ocean liner after it was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine and . LaSalle had the ship built on a creek near the Niagara River to accomplish his mission of finding a passage to China. [1], Upon Le Griffon's safe arrival at St. Ignace, the voyagers fired a salute from her deck that the Hurons on shore volleyed three times with their firearms. They sailed across the open water of Lake Erie whose shores were forested and "unbroken by the faintest signs of civilization". Michigan state maritime archaeologist Wayne R. Lusardi presented evidence that the wreck was, in fact, a tugboat due to its 90-foot (27m) length and presence of a steam boiler. La Salle was convinced that the pilot and crew treacherously sank her and made off with the goods.