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Thunder Bay 2010: Cutting Edge Tech & the Hunt for Lake Huron’s Lost Ships

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Background Information

The essays below will help you to understand the goals and objectives of the mission and provide additional context and information about the places being explored and the science, tools, and technologies being used.

  • Mission Plan

    By Russ Green

    Archaeologists from the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary — with support from the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology — document the wreck of the schooner Defiance, which rests in 56 meters (185 feet) of water just north of the sanctuary. In order to capture the wreck's current state of preservation, the team produced hand-drawn maps and photomosaics. This type of archeological investigation is an important follow up to discovering new shipwreck sites.

    Thunder Bay 2010 will bring cutting-edge shipwreck finding technology to Lake Huron’s “Shipwreck Alley.” Long known for its rough weather, treacherous shoals, and tight shipping lanes, the stretch of Lake Huron just off the northeastern Michigan coast has claimed hundreds of ships.

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  • Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

    By Russ Green

    Shallow-water shipwrecks dot the shoreline of Thunder Bay, providing recreational opportunities for snorkeling, diving, and kayaking. Shown here are the remains of both the 1840s sidewheel steamer New Orleans (top photo), one of the oldest known wrecks in the sanctuary, and the schooner American Union.

    On October 7, 2000, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) designated Thunder Bay as the nation’s 13th national marine sanctuary.

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  • Shipwreck Vignettes

    By Russ Green

    The popular passenger steamer Thousand Islander, lost under tow in 1928.

    Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary currently manages 48 known shipwreck sites. Should sanctuary boundary expansion occur (an increase from 448 square miles to 4,085 sq. miles), the sanctuary would have management responsibility for 83 known shipwrecks sites and the potential to discover up to 100 new sites (based on the historical record).

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  • Sonar and AUV Technology

    By Charles Loeffler

    ALS single-ping field of view and swath width: The ATLAS sonar is designed with a long detection and subsequently a wide swath width. As the vehicle traverses an area, objects which pass through the sensor’s field of view are seen dozens to hundreds of times. In contrast, side-looking sonars (SLS) tend to have narrow swaths and view an object from only a single aspect angle.

    The sunken ships in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary lie on the bottom of Lake Huron, which ranges from 61 to 91 meters (200 to 300 feet) deep.

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  • Launching an AUV

    By Charles Loeffler

    A view of the ATLAS autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) just before being lowered into the water. Here the AUV is about 6 meters (20 feet) above the water. At this moment, the AUV is in a quiet lake and in its pre-release position, where the vehicle and software are in their final check-out. In a moment, the lines will be released and the vehicle will be sent on its way to search the lake floor.

    An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) launching is filled with both excitement and anxiety.

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  • Recovering an AUV

    By Charles Loeffler

    Sometimes the AUV is lifted quickly to avoid its being hit by a rising wave.

    Recovering an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) can be as exciting and anxious as launching one.

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