CATASTROPHIC DISASTER IN THE MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD : CHASING THE GREAT STORM OF 1913

Abstract

The Great Lakes host thousands of shipwrecks. The Lakes are positioned to receive the blunt force of two polar fronts during the winter season, this can result in cataclysmic storm activity. In 1913, the two fronts combined to create one of the most devastating maritime disasters in Great Lakes' history. Close to 300 people died, with 40 commercial vessels badly damaged or sunk, creating the largest fiscal disaster to ever hit the Great Lakes. The storm affected all five Great Lakes. This thesis, therefore, looks at the possibility of connecting shipwrecks within the archaeological record to the storms that wrecked them. This thesis will account for not only wind direction in conjunction with bow heading, but will look at variables that may also affect wrecking patterns, such as wooden or steel construction, and sail or steam propulsion.