‘Cursed’ steamship that vanished in 1909 with 14 men aboard is finally discovered 115 years later
- Adella Shores disappeared in Michigan in 1909 with fourteen crew members on board
- 115 years after the ship disappeared, an association has now found the missing ship
- It was found more than 40 miles from its last location in more than 650 feet of water
A “cursed” wooden steamship that disappeared in Lake Superior in 1909 with 14 crew members on board has finally been discovered.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society says they found the Adella Shores after it went missing in Whitefish Point, Michigan, on May 1, 1909.
Adella Shores – which locals feared was cursed after its sober owners baptized it by hitting a bottle of water on its hull instead of booze – was found more than 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in more than 600 feet of water.
The 210-foot ship was built in Gibraltar, Michigan, weighed 735 tons and was owned by the Shores Lumber Company.
Images of the wreck show that the large timber appears to have remained largely intact in the water.
Adella Shores was found more than 40 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in more than 650 feet of water
The 210-foot ship was built in Gibraltar, Michigan, weighed 735 tons, and was owned by the Shores Lumber Company.
The boat was named after the daughter of Shores Lumber Company owner Adella.
Adella’s sister Bessie had christened the ship with a bottle of water, as the family had been strict about their alcohol consumption.
Sailors of old see this as a bad omen, with the Adella later sinking in shallow waters twice in fifteen years.
Both times it was refloated and put back into service before disappearing in 1909.
On April 29, the ship was bound for Duluth, Minnesota, with a cargo of salt, and followed a larger steel steamship through a thick ice flow.
As both ships approached Whitefish Point they encountered a violent storm and the Adella fell behind and out of sight of the Morrell.
The ship and all fourteen crew were never seen again, some debris was found but no bodies.
The captain of the larger steamship they had been following believes the smaller boat may have been caught in a large ice flow, puncturing its hull and sinking rapidly.
In the summer of 2021, the association’s Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel and his brother Dan conducted searches with sonar and found the ship
The boat was named after the daughter of Shores Lumber Company owner Adella
On April 29, the ship was bound for Duluth, Minnesota, with a cargo of salt, and followed a larger steel steamship through a thick ice flow.
As both ships approached Whitefish Point they encountered a violent storm and the Adella fell behind and out of sight of the Morrell.
In the summer of 2021, the association’s Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel and his brother Dan conducted sonar searches and found the ship, seen here
Ertel said, “I was pretty sure this had to be the Adella Shores when I measured its length because there were no other ships in that size missing.
“As soon as I first put the ROV on it, I could see the design of the ship and was able to match it to the Adella Shores.”
Maritime historian Fred Stonehouse added, “She is not only a member of the ‘Went Missing’ club of the Great Lakes ships that disappeared with all their might decades later, waiting to be discovered. She still tells a very moving and fascinating story.
“The people who actively hunt for shipwrecks, like the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, help answer that story.
“And they continue to search for those who have not yet been told and not yet found. Therefore, they deserve the highest praise.