the griffon shipwreck facts
French historical documents and shipbuilding techniques, colonial-era maps, contemporary reports, what he says is a bowsprit retrieved from the wreckage, carbon-4 dating and underwater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. Many explorers have claimed to havefound Le Griffon in the past, but Dykstra and Monroe are the only ones who've foundan actual ship wreck. 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. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, On 23 June 2014, Steve Libert told the Associated Press he believed he found Le Griffon in Lake Michigan after extensive searching, in a debris field near where a wood slab was found the previous year. Editor's Note:In our original version of this story, we inadvertently used video that belonged to Great Lakes Exploration Group, LLC. In the Spring of 2021, veteran shipwreck hunters Joe Van Wagnen and Mark Gammage located the remains of the passenger/freight Propeller Challenge in northern Lake Huron. "The [American] Indians told the captain not to sail out, to wait the storm out, but he wouldn't listen to them," Baillod said. [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). All of those people have been wrong including Libert she says. But Dykstra and Monroe said they'll wait until they hear the final word. Thedetails of their findwere recorded in a 2021 book that chronicled their finding of the mysterious wreck. Green and Ken Vrana, the principal of Maritime Heritage Consulting, advocate an independent assessment by professionals. 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. [8], Progress on Le Griffon was fraught with problems. By Michael Havis and Harry Howard For Mailonline, Published: 12:24 GMT, 16 June 2021 | Updated: 13:02 GMT, 16 June 2021. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. An Antarctic explorer's ship has been discovered 106 years after it sank. Comment why voting matters to you at the end of this story. Enter the text you see in the image below. 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. On a subsequent dive, Dykstra took a magnet with him to help determine the metal composition of the ship. Mr Libert then spent two years sifting through satellite imagery before he made a breakthrough. Father Hennepin wrote that during the fearful crisis of the storm, La Salle vowed that if God would deliver them, the first chapel erected in Louisiana would be dedicated to the memory of Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron of the sailor. 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. La Salle decided to visit the Senecas at Tagarondies himself. The Griffin (Le Griffon) was a sailing ship built byRen-Robert Cavelier in 1679 that mysteriously disappeared during its maiden voyage on the Great Lakes. The wreck's discoverers agree that more evidence is needed. TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) A debris field at the bottom of Lake Michigan may be the remains of the long-lost Griffin, a vessel commanded by a 17th-century French explorer, said a shipwreck . Lawrence. [14] After years of legal squabbles the Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued a permit, and on 16 June 2013, an underwater pit was dug allowing US and French archeologists to examine the object for the first time. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Le_Griffon&oldid=1121719205, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from January 2015, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Disappeared on the return trip of her maiden voyage in 1679, This page was last edited on 13 November 2022, at 19:58. (Wikipedia) The age could have proved if the plank came. When the wind suddenly veered to the southeast they changed course to avoid Presque Isle. On 6 December, they landed safely on the east bank of the river at about where Lewiston, New York is today. - News and information from student journalists at the Michigan State University School of Journalism, About the Michigan State University School of Journalism, Michigan Chile Investigative Journalism Program, MSU journalism COVID-related reporting guidelines, Upcoming court ruling could impact trial court funding as deadline approaches, Why does your vote matter? MICHIGAN -- Le Griffon, a well known ship that sunk in Lake Michigan during the 17th century, has been hiding at the depths of the lake for more than 300 years. [citation needed], After La Salle and Tonti left, the pilot and the rest of the crew were to follow with the supply vessel. It would be busted up, she said. Its true fate remains a mystery, though it's commonly believed that the ship may have foundered in a storm or been scuttled by a mutinous crew. Le Griffon was constructed and launched at or near Cayuga Island on the Niagara River and was armed with seven cannons. Le Griffon may have been found by the Great Lakes Exploration Group but the potential remains were the subject of lawsuits involving the discoverers, the state of Michigan, the U.S. federal government, and the Government of France. The Griffon has not been found, Wayne Lusardi, the state archaeologist in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says bluntly. The entire 29-member crew went down with it in what has become the greatest Great Lakes Shipping Tragedy of all time. Shipwreck explorers, Jim Kennard and Roger Pawlowski located the shipwreck utilizing a high resolution Rochester, New York The battered remains of the Canadian schooner Ocean Wave, which capsized and eventually sank from a sudden and violent squall, has been found in the depths of Lake Ontario. In the past griffin was a symbol of strength and dexterity.It often looked after a treasure.. The ship left Conneaut for Port Stanley, Ontario in late morning on Dec. 7, 1909 with a captain and . Where are the cannons? 'I was emotionally drained of all my energy, and was in a complete state of relief and exhaustion, but I could still yell out the words "we found it!" As the eagle was considered the 'king of the birds', and the lion the 'king of the beasts', the griffin was perceived as a powerful and majestic creature. $19.95 plus $3 S&H. 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. The exact size and construction of Le Griffon is not known but many researchers believe she was a 45-ton barque. 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]. We hear from the Association of Counties, state court administrator and the president, from Gratiot County, of the Michigan Judges Association. Here's how to watch. Those left behind proceeded with needed building projects. There the crew ignored a warning from local Native Americans not to sail into the lake from the safe harbor at Washington Island because of high wind danger from a massive storm. That is my question. Its fate has been a puzzlement for maritime historians for more than three and a half centuries. After Le Griffon was launched, she was rigged with sails and provisioned with seven cannon of which two were brass. The 1633 journey left from Downs, England and landed at Plymouth in Plymouth Colony on September 3. While some of these were made from a single carved log ("dugout" or "pirogue"), most were bark canoes. Wherever the Griffon is, if its in deep water somewhere, there are cannons near it, she says. Several historical and genealogical references show Griffin making such journeys in 1633 and 1634. After disembarking, the ship and the exploration disappeared into history. They anchored on the south shore of the island and found it occupied by friendly Pottawatomies and 15 of the fur traders La Salle sent ahead. The uneasy truce with the Indians was tested by threats and attempts of sabotage and murder. June 3, 2022 . [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. A party from the Iroquois tribe who witnessed the launching were so impressed by the "large floating fort" that they named the French builders Ot-kon, meaning "penetrating minds", which corresponds to the Seneca word Ot-goh, meaning supernatural beings or spirits. 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. Shipwrecks are found either beached on land or sunken to the seabed of a body of water. The couples book shares details of how they believed the ship sank near the Huron Islands, a group of small, rocky islands northeast of Green Bay. Somewhere near present-day Toronto they were frozen in and had to chop their way out of the ice. Ive seen dozens and dozens of 100- to 150-year-old ships, and that is not a 350-year-old ship. An explorer claims to have found the long lost French ship Le Griffon at the bottom of Lake Michigan. "It was a hand-forged nail, which helps date it back to that time period, we feel." Hennepin's journal says 32 leagues (converts to 96 miles (154km)), but his figure is an estimate made while snowshoing through the country. Arriving at Fort Frontenac in late September, he had neither the time for nor the interest in building a vessel at Fort Frontenac to transport building materials, some of which he had recently obtained in France, to a site above Niagara Falls where he could build his new ship. Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Plan To Be Weighed By US Supreme Court, San Antonio Couple Allegedly Trained Their Dogs To Be Aggressive Before Air Force Veteran Gets Mauled to Death, Hungary Says Sweden Is Spreading Fake News Concerning Budapest Will Not Help Its NATO Bid, Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval-Ariana Madix Split: Raquel Leviss Admits Doing 1 Thing Amid Affair Rumors. A bit of history: The Griffon was built in 1679 and launched that year, believed to be the largest ship on the Great Lakes. "When we had it looked at, they [the archaeologists] could tell that the nail was very old," Dykstra said. Carbon dating of the bowsprit places suggests an age range within a year of the sinking. 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. New York, ', The wreck believed to be the Griffin was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook& Google+. Le Griffon. 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. They sailed from the Straits of Mackinac to an island (either Washington Island or Rock Island)[1] located at the entrance of Green Bay. It just sparked my interest and I started researching more and more. 'If any of the latter was true the ship would rest in deeper water instead of shallow waters.'. [notes 1], Before 1673, the most common vessel on the lakes was the canoe. 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. Navagio Beach in Greece is famous for its shipwreck. They hadn't sailed far before a storm picked up. [In Photos: Arctic Shipwreck Solves 170-Year-Old Mystery]. Charlevoix couple offers theory on mysterious 1679 shipwreck. About 30 adventurers have claimed to have found the Griffin, usually by happenstance, Baillod said. La Salle whose full name was the noble-sounding Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Sallewasnt aboard the Griffon. He learned to dive, and the quest was on. 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. [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. [4], Le Griffon may or may not be considered the first ship on the Great Lakes, depending on what factors one deems necessary to qualify a vessel for that designation. 2023 www.lenconnect.com. THE WRECK OF THE GRIFFON by Cris Kohl and Joan Forsberg, published and distributed by Seawolf Communications Inc. 224 pages. An Indian prophet called Metiomek of the Iroquois said legend had cursed the ship before it left; he told its owner La Salle it would sink deep water. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. These social birds live in vulture colonies. On 27 December 2014, two divers, Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe, announced the discovery of a wreck that they believe is Le Griffon, based on the bowstem, which to some resembles an ornamental griffin. Updated. Spartan Newsroom "Some would believe that the Griffon sank somewhere in Lake Michigan in the northern part of the lake and has yet to be found," explained Van Heest. A 'cursed' shipwreck which sank almost 350 years ago has been identified in one of North America's Great Lakes, bringing to an end a maritime mystery. [4] They were navigating Le Griffon through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. "[5] J. C. Mills [4] quotes a letter from La Salle to the Minister of Marine that says, "The fort at Cataraqui (Fort Frontenac) with the aid of a vessel now building, will command Lake Ontario"[4] While no date is given for the letter, the location of Mill's reference to it suggests that it was sent before 1677, perhaps as early as 1675. FOR ALPENA, DETROIT, IRON MOUNTAIN, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. The griffin is featured on one side of coins minted in Abdera, Greece. the griffon shipwreck facts. by | Jun 6, 2022 | ephesus elementary school principal | kristen modafferi kristin smart | Jun 6, 2022 | ephesus elementary school principal | kristen modafferi kristin smart That is simply not true.. 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. While there have been many theories over the years, there is no clear consensus as to the fate or current location of Le Griffon. Rochester, New York - The wreckage of the schooner Atlas which sank in 1839 during a gale has been located in Lake Ontario. Most of the ship remnants were in shallow, not deep water makes the other claims inaccurate. The ship was lost in the depths of northern Lake Michigan over 300 years ago. [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. They recovered the anchors, chain, and most of the materials critical for Le Griffon, but most of the supplies and provisions were lost. 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. B. Mansfield reported that this "excited the deepest emotions of the Indian tribes, then occupying the shores of these inland waters". Libert may be a secret agent by day-- he works as a senior defense analyst for the U.S. Navy -- but by night he's a passionate hunter for the old and precious. The ship disappeared 343 years back on its maiden launch without a trace. On September 18, 1679, the bark Griffon was sent back toward Fort Frontenac (a French trading post and military fort at the mouth of the Cataraqui River where the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario). Marie. Le Griffon, 17th-century sailing ship built by Robert de La Salle may have been found in Lake Michigan 335 years after it disappeared. Onboard the ship was furs for trade, and a legend that an Iroquois tribe Shaman or prophet foretold it would be lost to history, reportedthe Express UK. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. La Salle's prime focus in 1678 was building Le Griffon. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. Your comment will appear after being approved. But even now, the Liberts are prevented by the State of Michigan from conducting an in-depth excavation. He then charged La Motte with salvage by use of canoes. Steve Libert diving on the ship in 2018. 'Father Louis Hennepin said it was lost in a violent storm. La Salle oversaw the laying of Le Griffon's keel and drove her first bolt. The Griffin shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan. 2 - The Almiranta, Santo Cristo de San Roman, Nuestra Seora del Rosario y San Jose (Presumably a galleon). The Griffin, or gryphon, is a mythological creature with the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion and the wings, front talons, and head of an eagle. "It's the holy grail of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.". Cris Kohl and wife Joan Forsberg have conducted over 20 years of research in order to write their new book The Wreck of the Griffon, the explorer La Salles ship that disappeared in 1679 on its return voyage from Lake Michigan. [citation needed]. Armament: 50 iron cannons total. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. [1][4] The captain lost control of the ship as strong winds blew it away from shore, southward, toward islands in the distance. At 42.5 inches tall, the "Pisa Griffin" is the largest bronze medieval Islamic sculpture on the planet and was made in the 11th Century CE. Forsberg said several of the bolts. In the Great Lakes region, there may be no older and more intriguing historical mystery than the 1679 disappearance of the Griffon, one of French explorer Robert La Salles ships. Justin Windsor notes that Count Frontenac by 1 August 1673, "had already ordered the construction of a vessel on Ontario to be used as an auxiliary force to Fort Frontenac. Countless shipwrecks sit beneath the ocean and stranded on land around the world. They again sounded their way through the narrow channel of the St. Clair River to its mouth where they were delayed by contrary winds until 24 August. He arrived there nearly starved only to find that his detractors had succeeded in stirring up doubt and opposition with his creditors. The exact place where the Griffon was constructed is marked by a boulder and historical plaque at 9317 Buffalo Avenue, just north of the city marina. Le Griffon is considered by some to have been the first ship lost on the Great Lakes. 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. 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. La Salle returned to the area in 1682, to try again to locate the Mississippi's mouth. It was crafted by French explorer Robert de La Salle. La Salle disembarked and on 18 September sent the ship back toward Niagara. The first full-size cargo ship to sail the inner Great Lakes, Le Griffon was built by explorer Robert de La Salle in 1679. A ship in shallow water gets beat up quickly. His conclusion: The remains of the ship Le Griffon in French sank in shallow water in the Huron Islands of northern Lake Michigan, northeast of Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the loss of all the crew members aboard. A teacher from Ottawa named Roy Fleming, in the 1930s through the 1950s, expanded the investigation of this wreck that he firmly believed was the Griffon. All of those people have been wrong including Libert she says. Acknowledging that French archeologists side with Libert, she asks what they know about Native American fishing practices. Tests on the ship part are dated to 1679; close to a year, dating of the wreck is 1632 to 1982. LANSING Historical mysteries may take decades, even centuries, to solve if ever. For the second time, they used a dozen men and ropes to tow Le Griffon over the rapids of the St. Clair River into lower Lake Huron. If the state underwater archaeologist were to look at the wreck, he would look for artifacts that could be dated, such as ceramics or glass. Its discovery is credited to wreck hunters Stevie and Kathie Libert for the record. Long a subject of local lore and backed up with some convincing historical archival work and artifacts, including 16th century coins and several bodies, the Mississagi Straits wreck, which local Native oral tradition had named "the whiteman's ship," remains a strong candidate.
