Steve Linley's Great Lakes

Site of the Month #3

The Newell A. Eddy

The last big find in the Straits of Mackinac

In the late 1800's wood hulled steamers and three masted schooners plied the lakes transporting cargos to and from the region. Schooners were often towed behind newer, faster, steamers. The schooners were nothing more than barges with masts. If the steamer lost power or had trouble making way in rough weather the steamer would cut their consorts loose.
It was times like this when masts could help schooner/barges save themselves. But this rarely happened, it was too hard to raise sails in rough weather. They would drift through the shipping lanes and down the lakes until they were either wrecked, stranded, or rescued. These barges, when cut loose, were a menace and the newspapers of the time indicate a lot of controversy over what to do about these rafts.

The officers and crew of these vessels risked their lives in many perilous voyages.
Life saving stations were established around the lakes saving many lives.

However many ships and crew where lost far from shore.

On July 22nd a University of Michigan research group aboard the research vessel Laurentian discovered the Newell A. Eddy. Her exact whereabouts had been a mystery for nearly one hundred years.
It is important that divers use safe deep diving practices. While there is no substitute for experience every diver must remember the elements they are dealing with. Depth, low visibility, narcosis, rough seas, and cold water make this a dangerous unforgiving environment for any diver.

The first thing we encounter on the dive are the NAE's remarkably intact masts.
Left untouched for nearly one hundred years the block hooks have worn grooves is the eyes from swinging in the current that blows through the Straits area.
As we descend the masts it grows dark and we must rely on our own lighting system to navigate and film the site. The deck has a heavy coating of dust like silt that can easily destroy visibility with one kick from a fin.

Swimming over to her starboard side we find belaying pins used to secure her rigging while under sail. Randy pulls one out for a closer inspection then returns it to the rack for others to see.

Many steel cables dangle from her masts and a diver could become tangled. I remember a diver getting one wedged between his tanks and BC (on the Windiate) so hard it took me several minutes to free him. Of course it might have been easier to get out the steel cable if he hadn't tried to ascend 100 feet before he realized something held him back.

Swimming over hold number seven we find the hull registration numbers.

Documents show she weighed 1207.27 net tons. These numbers are proof that the ship is indeed the Newell A. Eddy.

Go on to part two of the NAE story

Steve Linley

The Charles A. Eddy towing the Newell A. Eddy

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