3 Incredible Facts About The Nucleus, A 150+ Year Old Ship Discovered In Lake Superior

In case you missed it, researchers just made an incredible discovery in Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. They found a 150+ year old ship in the depths of Lake Superior in astoundingly good condition, and new photos show just how incredible this discovery is.

According to USA Today, The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS), which looks for shipwrecks, found the ship in 2021. The ship, called the Nucleus, dates back to the 1800s, and the GLSHS calls it "one of the oldest ships to go down along Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast."

When the Nucleus was sinking, the crew aboard was able to escape the boat before it sank. They were eventually picked up by the Worthington, a passing boat.

With Lake Superior being as massive as it is, it’s unsurprising that it’s been the site of numerous shipwrecks in it over the years. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, holding 10% of the world’s surface freshwater. The north shore borders Ontario, with the south shore spanning the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan — and tons of state parks abutting the huge lake.

According to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, approximately 550 shipwrecks have been recorded in Lake Superior.

With the lake’s deepest point reaching 1,333 feet, that’s a lot of space for the shipwrecks to settle and maybe — or maybe not — be discovered much, much later.

“This is a pretty significant shipwreck…considering its age, the fact that it is a barquentine, and we can’t overlook the vessel’s checkered past,” Shipwreck Society Executive Director, Bruce Lynn, said in a press release. “The wreck site is littered with shovels too…and a few dinner plates, which speaks to their work and shipboard life.”

Here are some interesting facts you didn’t know about the ship recently found in Lake Superior.

1. The Nucleus sank on September 14th, 1869.

The shipwreck that was recently found was called The Nucleus, which had been carrying a cargo of iron ore. However, on Sept. 14, 1869, the boat got caught in a bad storm. The storm caused a leak in the boat that “become so bad the crew had to abandon ship and took to their lifeboat.”

It didn’t take long for the Nucleus to sink shortly thereafter.

2. The Nucleus was already seen as having “bad luck.”

The Nucleus was notorious for having “bad luck,” according to the GLSHS. “The ship had already sunk twice, and in 1854, it also sank the S.S. Detroit, having rammed it into Lake Huron,” the agency shares on its website.

3. It was found using the Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar — and was in incredible condition.

The GLSHS discovered the Nucleus using a Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar in 2021 and identified the wreck as being the Nucleus, the organization shares.

Despite the boat being submerged in the lake for more than 150 years, it was still intact, according to Darryl Ertel Jr., the Director of Marine Operations at GLSHS. “It had a straight back stern and then the port side also was intact. And so, I was more excited about it because at first, I thought it was totally in pieces on the bottom.”

To learn about The Nucleus or other shipwrecks, check out The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.