Would you be keen to go down and visit Old Whitey on the SS Kamloops? We've received your submission. This & That, Education & Learning "I would like to give the Isle the once-over to be certain. In December of 1928 a message in a bottle was found at the mouth of the Agawa River by a trapper. Privacy Policy. But I didnt see any strange deaths, he said. Here it is, in case you haven't already seen it: Following are 7 of the most famous shipwrecks of Lake Superior, each with its own ghost story. My findings confirmed what Elders had shared, Beaulieu said after she presented a report about her work in July 2021 that did not include specific evidence. It involves a ship called The SS Kamloops that sank in 1927 off Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Kate Crowley But a group of about a dozen academics in Canada dont believe the whole story. What happened to the American dream? So the unfortunate crewman, nicknamed "Whitey" or "Grandpa" by locals, just floats there in the engine room, perfectly preserved. - Concrete Contractors of Raleigh, N.C. Frank Sanders | Is a Maritime Career Waiting for You? I got a really big rush and started trucking over there" (Minneapolis Star, Oct. 13, 1977). The cutter Crawford, which postponed entering the drydock in Duluth at Marine Iron and Shipbuilding for repairs, went to investigate. Canadians feel guilty so they keep quiet.. The SS Kamloops has lain at the bottom of Lake Superior for nearly 100 years but visiting divers claim they are not alone when visiting the shipwreck. Dive logs are filled with notes about shaking hands with Grandpa, or paying respects to Old Whitey, and partially because of him, the National Parks Service has protected the shipwreck as a culture treasure, though they allow only the most experienced and respectful divers to explore the location. The wreck occurred off the coast of Isle Royale, Michigan's National Park, and while most of the crew's bodies were found because they froze trying . They attempted to assist him but were forced to send him to the surface alone after he became unconscious. His body stiff and his skin white as snow, the nameless member of the Kamloops crewhad floated inside the ship for fifty years, alone until the divers began to occasionally filter in. 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Divers understand the risks involved in diving at such extreme depths, but accidents can happen. - The Quixote, When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either. The temperature continued to drop as a massive cold front advanced from the northwest (Sault Daily Star, Dec. 1, 1927). "There's nothing to fear but fear itself." The grief is palpable in Kamloops, B.C., after a preliminary survey of the grounds of a former residential school uncovered the bodies of 215 children. Living, or should I say non-living, proof of this scientific fact is evident aboard the shipwreck of the USS Kamloops, which wrecked in Lake Superior carrying farm equipment on the way to Canada back in a frigid winter storm in December of 1927.. Lifesavers candies still preserved in the cargo hold | Via Doug Bell / YouTube. It's easy! Sign up for a new account in our community. Whats still missing, however, according to a number of Canadian academics, is proof of the remains in the ground. At least now they could, if they knew the body was there. SS Kamloops was a Canadian lake freighter that was part of the fleet of Canada Steamship Lines from its launching in 1924 until it sank with all hands in Lake Superior off Isle Royale, Michigan, United States, on or about 7 December 1927. I came across an interesting story recently that circulates among diving enthusiasts. It was known that there were two women aboard Kamloops during its final voyage. We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify. Indications are that the steamer KAMLOOPS can not be very far from Isle Royale. Beargrease Divers who have been down to the wreck have reported strange encounters such as being followed by the body or being surprised suddenly by the body floating towards them. Michigan The doomed vessel cleared Port Colborne, Ontario on the Welland Canal upbound on December 1 at 9:30 AM ( Detroit Free Press, Dec. 2, 1927). Minnesota North Shore The explorer, Fred Shannon, is releasing the book and video next week to mark the sinking of the 729-foot ore carrier during a gale on Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. The Kamloops school operated between 1890 and 1969, when the Canadian government took over operations from the Catholic Church and operated it as a day school until it closed in 1978. Marie, Capt. Kamloops was one of a network of residential schools across Canada run by the government and operated by churches from the 1880s through the end of the 20th century. I never forgot the 2 or 3 minutes they devoted to the Kamloops. In all, five vessels were eventually declared a total loss by the underwriters- Kamloops was among the missing. 49931, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Wright believed that the missing ship would be found ice-locked on the inner side of Isle Royale between Washington Harbor and Gull Rocks, a stretch of 15 miles of sheer rock where there is no shelter for ships, or else in one of the numerous bays and island-sheltered nooks that extend from Gull Rocks to the outer point of the island (Port Arthur News Chronicle, Dec. 17, 1927). While no one is quite sure what caused the Kamloops to sink, the few clues that were discovered paint a pretty horrific picture. It turns out thatthe frigid waters of Lake Superior had not just refrigerated farm equipment and foodstuffs, it had perfectly preserved one of the 13 crewmen who never made it ashore. The Canadian government and provincial authorities pledgedabout $320 millionto fund more research and in Decemberpledged another $40 billioninvolving First Nations child-welfare claim settlements thatpartially compensate some residential school attendees. She hit Isle Royale broadside, smashing her starboard bow. [5], A search for Kamloops began on 12 December, concentrating on the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale; the search continued until 22 December. The bottle contained a note from Alice Bettridge, the assistant stewardess of the Kamloops. Her cargo of shoes, tar paper, farm equipment, barrels, toothpaste and lifesavers can be seen pouring out onto the . On the night of December 6th, 1927, Lake Superior was in the grips of a violent winter storm, and the SS Kamloops was struggling to make its way through the waves, accompanied by the steamer ship Quedoc.In the middle of a particularly nasty gale, the captain of the Quedoc spotted a dark mass rise up out of the waters, and quickly turned course, warning the Kamloops, which was shrouded in the . A man was washed overboard at the same time. there is also the missing stagecoach that sopposedly fell of a cliff and into the lake they say it's still missing along with all the gold.yet another story is of a hotel from the 1800's if i remember correctly.that only ran during the summer then one summer people werent able to find it.it hasent been seen since. Hes been searching for and identifying the grave sites of indigenous children at residential schools in Canada since 2009 after being hired by Canadas powerful Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There are bottom feeders in all lakes, unless the pollution has killed them off, and at the time of the sinking, there would not have been the pollution in the Lake that there is now. They were found along with wreckage of the lost steamer. Some of them rationalized it as currents, but others insisted that there was something unnatural, even intelligent, about the way Grandpa moved. He didnt want the same thing to happen to the rest of us kids. He never attempted to hurt or drown anyone, and never appeared angry or upset. For starters, the corpse. I guess it spurs the imagination better if the body is supposedly whole, LOL. Tkemlps te Secwpemc spokesman Larry Read confirmed to The Post this week that no bodies have yet been exhumed from the Kamloops school and no dates have been set to start excavations. For decades, the location of Kamloops remained one of the mysteries of Lake Superior. The location of the shipwreck was unknown until sport divers located the wreck in 1977. The exact cause of the ships sinking remains a mystery to this day. Manage Settings After months of recrimination and denunciation, where are the remains of the children buried at the Kamloops Indian Residential School?. Photo: Doug Bell . Houghton Despite his own skepticism, Yellowhorn says its entirely possible that if excavations are ever carried out at Kamloops actual human remains could be found, much as they were in 2014 in Ireland after ground-penetrating radar showed anomalies at one of the countrys notorious mother and baby homes. The doomed vessel cleared Port Colborne, Ontario on the Welland Canal upbound on December 1 at 9:30 AM (Detroit Free Press, Dec. 2, 1927). Very few divers are skilled enough to deal with the extreme conditions. Ah, very true my australian companion, very true. Lake Superior Journal Lake Superior (Kamloops Shipwreck) Lake Superior is spooky for a lot of reasons. On May 26, the electrifying news that the fishermen of Isle Royale had found bodies believed to belong to the crew of Kamloops reached the newspapers (Calumet News, May 26, 1928; Detroit Free Press, May 27, 1928). Yellowhorn, who grew up on a farm on the Peigan Indian reservation with many family members who attended residential schools, is both an archaeologist and anthropologist. He said he planned to visit Canada later this year to further assist in healing and reconciliation. Near gale force winds smashed wave after wave across the decks of his ship, the Kamloops. A rumor had circulated from Buffalo that Lake ships, fearing another blockade, would end their season on November 30, but executives of Canada Steamship Lines denied the rumor. July 15, 2013. Wildlife KAMLOOPS had a length between perpendiculars of 250 feet, molded breadth of 42 3/4 feet and a molded depth of 26 1/2 feet. Effectively protecting the skin from decomposition. It would seem that at least one of the ships crew decided to stick around, and so many divers had met him that they even gave him a nickname: Grandpa. Lloyd W. Krohn, 55, of Wyoming, Minnesota, was diving in a party of three on a charter SCUBA trip to the park operated by Isle Royale Charters, Inc. At approximately 11:00 am EDT, soon after descending to their target depth, his two partners noticed that Krohn was experiencing an unknown difficulty. Divers who explored the ship couldnt believe how well-preserved it was. "All Torque & No Traction" The Islet Prince, which had seen no wreckage, was called back to port by CSL officials. Twenty-nine men died in the . The ones who did, though, began to resurface with frightening tales. (you try to explain that one).then we have the bigfoot sightings and multipile (although hidden) haunted houses. If the divers went to the wreckage, why couldn't they take the body with them? If there had been power available, they would have been put on "Standby" not "Finished With Engines." Ontario The last trip of the 1927 season would be Kamloops' final trip. Login. "Ye old shipped matey be starving for a good rum by now", The Vampire Lair Oberg had made a fathometer tracing several years earlier in the area that indicated a shipwreck lying on its side (Press release by Ken Engelbrecht and Thorn Holden, 1977). Lake Superior Journal: Building Skiffs, Crafting a Life, Around the Circle This Week: The 300 (Cyclists). Remains of 215 children found buried near school in Canada. Search for businesses in Kamloops, . Marie Canal on 4 December, and faced the challenge of Lake Superior. Divers say they hear stories from fellow divers about a body that is still trapped in the engine room of the wreck. Apparently Kamloops passed through the Soo on December 4 in the company of Quedoc, a 345-foot bulk freighter (Owen Sound Daily Sun Times, Dec. 13, 1927). Wisconsin Around the Circle This Week Duluth The Kamloops and her small crew of about two dozen spent most of their time running cargo along the Canadian shore, fromMontreal to Fort William. [4] She then steamed up Lake Huron, passed through the Sault Ste. I went because my father wanted me to, Highway said about his dad, a caribou hunter and champion dog sledder who was illiterate. Marie Canal, and in 1926 it ended the season stuck in the ice in the St. Mary's River. It is not known how EMPEROR dumped the ore. Photo courtesy of Brian Stephens, Kamloops, British Columbia. Not buoyed. The body of one of the deceased crew members, dubbed Old Whitey, floats amongst the wreckage of the ship with some divers claiming follows them as th It wasnt until the spring that the first signs of the Kamloops demise were discovered by fishermen of Isle Royale. [4] In May, fishermen discovered the remains of several crewmembers at Twelve O'Clock Point on Isle Royale (erroneously reported to be on the nearby Amygdaloid Island). Sled Dogs Since the Kamloops discovery, investigators using ground-penetrating radar say theyve located what may be the unmarked graves of another 800 or so children at residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, according to reports. HOUGHTON, MI - On Saturday, July 13, a recreational SCUBA diver exploring the Kamloops shipwreck at Isle Royale National Park was fatally injured in a diving accident. Outdoors. [5] However, on 21 August 1977,[4] her wreck was discovered northwest of Isle Royale, near what is now known as Kamloops Point, by a group of sport divers carrying out a systematic search for the ship. "Old Whitey" is the nickname given to a deceased crewman of the SS Kamloops, which sank in Lake Superior in 1927. Minnesota It is located approximately 300 feet from the north shore of Isle Royale near Todd Harbor. Also, it is too dangerous to recover a body trapped that far down. You must be logged in to post a comment I don't remember who wrote it, but it's in one of the Alfred Hitchcock story collections and I read it several times when I was a kid. "The Flying Dutchman of Lake Superior". Way back in the early 1920s, Grandpa, whose true name has been lost to time, was a crewman on the SS Kamloops, a kind of freighter specially-built to fit through the old Welland Canal, which connected Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. We need someone who's a SAR Diver to clear up that one. [4] She remained under British registry until 1926 when it was nominally purchased by new owners, Canada Steamship Lines, and re-registered in Canada. Park rangers responded to the incident after receiving a distress call on marine band radio from the charter company vessel Lake Superior Diver. Ice Its a huge job.. Lloyd W. Krohn, 55, of Wyoming, Minnesota, was diving in a party of three on a charter SCUBA trip to the park operated by Isle Royale Charters, Inc. The story goes that in a fresh water lake, at that depth, there are no fish to eat the remains and the temperature is so low all year round, that a body won't decompose. With a length . In the middle of a particularly nasty gale, the captain of the Quedocspotted a dark mass rise up out of the waters, and quickly turned course, warning theKamloops, which was shrouded in the thick fog. The other twelve crew members probably remain trapped in the stern house, yet to be opened. The bit about the body following the divers around reminds me very much of a short story called "Dead Men On Parade". Powered by Invision Community. The coal fired, forced draft engine could not function without the stack. The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts: Are Spirits Always Who they Claim to Be? It should come as no surprise to anyone that the flesh of bodie. With its Curses, Violent Apparitions, and Portals, is Ohios Bellaire House the Most Haunted Home in the World? Photography From Sault Ste. Business The weather remained at sub-zero levels with lows of 10-38 degrees F. below zero reported. Biking Lake Levels at Duluth, 10 F. at Port Arthur, and storm warnings were raised at the Soo. LOL, the temperature part I might buy, might, but the no fish part at that depth is so wrong. Knowledge Keepers, after all, cannot be questioned, because to do so would be perceived as disrespectful, wrote Widdowson in The American Conservative in February. This is the biggest fake news story in Canadian history, Flanagan told The Post. A video of some intrepid divers exploring the wreck of the SS Kamloops. A group of sport divers were carrying out a systematic search for the ship when they discovered the Kamloops lying on it starboard side at the bottom of an underwater cliff. Reminds me very much of a short story called `` Dead Men on Parade.. What caused the Kamloops to sink, the temperature continued to drop as a massive front... 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