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Discover Vermilion's
Shipwrecks
The Ohio Sea Grant College Program encourages you to visit their new website, “Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail" at www.ohioshipwrecks.org. The interactive site divides the Lake Erie shipwrecks into four regions, including the Lorain-Vermilion area.
The purpose of this website is to help promote the protection of shipwrecks and increase awareness of the rich maritime history which lies beneath the surface of Ohio's Lake Erie. In addition, the program hopes to boost coastal eco-tourism through scuba diver visitation. A 1999 New York Sea Grant survey showed divers living within the Great Lakes region spent $61 million a year on boat and auto fuel, lodging and food, etc. and $47 million on diving-related expenditures.
The mysteries surrounding 'shipwrecks' are always exciting, while the history associated with each shipwreck reveals the role it played in the development of Ohio, the Great Lakes region, and our nation.
The shipwrecks within this website are a mere sampling of the hundreds of shipwreck sites located in the depths of Lake Erie.
Lake Erie, the 12th largest freshwater lake in the world, is the shallowest, warmest and southmost of the Great Lakes. There are three recognized basins in Lake Erie; the shallow Western Basin, averaging 24 feet in depth, the Central Basin, with a average depth of 60 feet, and the Eastern Basin, averaging 80 feet in depth. Erie's shallowness adds to its treacherous reputation; she can go from flat calm to a raging beast in less than 20 minutes. Hence Lake Erie has over 1700 shipwrecks, of which only 277 have been found and salvaged or located by divers and remain on the bottom of Lake Erie. Over 6000 shipwrecks are known to have occurred Great Lakes wide, with Lake Erie claiming the most at 1700.
Whether you are a seasoned scuba diver or a maritime history aficionado, Ohio Sea Grant College Program believes you will not only learn more about Lake Erie's maritime heritage, but will also gain an increased respect for the need to preserve and protect Ohio's historic shipwrecks. As an eco-tourist interested in exploring all Lake Erie has to offer, you will discover a whole new world 'beneath Lake Erie's surface' to investigate.
4/27/08
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