TOLEDO, Ohio — The National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo and the Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE) announced they have confirmed a newly discovered shipwreck in Lake Erie.
What You Need To Know
The shipwreck was that of the Clough, a stone-hauling sailing vessel built in Lorain, Ohio, in 1867
The museum said the Clough went down just a year after its creation
The museum opened an exhibit about the Clough on Wednesday that also explains the process behind its identification
The shipwreck was that of the Clough, a stone-hauling sailing vessel built in Lorain, Ohio, in 1867. It was owned by Baxter Clough, a quarry owner from Amherst, Ohio.
The Clough was classified as a bark, which is a three-masted vessel rigged with square sails on the foremast and schooner sails on the main and mizzen masts, according to the museum.
The museum said the Clough went down just a year after its creation, sinking on Sept. 15, 1868, as it was transporting stone.
The museum opened an exhibit about the Clough on Wednesday that also explains the process behind its identification. The exhibit will stay up through April 16.
The identification process is a meaningful one to both the museum and CLUE, as they said the wreck is association with the loss of CLUE’s founder, David VanZandt, in June of 2024. Following his passing, the organizations said they worked to complete the identification with “care, accuracy and respect.”
“This discovery represents both a significant chapter in Great Lakes maritime history and a meaningful continuation of David VanZandt’s legacy,” said Carrie Sowden, director of Archaeology and Research, National Museum of the Great Lakes. “We’re honored to partner with CLUE to bring this story to light and to share it with our community through this exhibit.”
CLUE and the museum have worked together since 2001 to identify shipwrecks in Lake Erie, working to preserve maritime history. For more information, click here.