A Michigan man who specializes in shipwreck exploration said on Monday that his group of underwater hunters discovered the remains of a vessel that disappeared beneath the surface of Lake Huron in 1861.
Canton Township resident David Trotter, 72, told the Detroit Free Press that he and his team found the wreck of the Keystone State during a search conducted in July of this year.
According to local legend, the ship sank more than 150 years ago, after a heavy storm in November took the lives of the 33 people aboard headed from Detroit to Milwaukee .
The wreckage currently sits nearly 175 feet deep in the water, and is located around 25 to 30 miles northeast of the northeastern Michigan town of Harrisville, the Associated Press reported.
"My expectations were diminished because there was no reason to think she was this far north," Trotter told AP in reference to the wooden steamer.
Keystone State, which measures out to be almost 300 feet long, was reportedly made in Buffalo, N.Y., and was classified as a "palace steamer," seafaring historian, author and artist Robert McGreevy told AP.
"The interiors were made to look like the finest hotels," he said. "They had leaded glass windows and carved arches and mahogany trim."
One member of the diving team described the ship as being in fair condition, given the amount of time it's been sitting on the floor of Lake Huron.
"The stern is kind of broken up and crumbled," 56-year-old Warren resident Marty Lutz said. "The boilers are in good condition, the engine is in good condition. The wheels are both standing...It was pretty amazing to see those sitting upright on the bottom like that."
Trotter accompanied crew members on 30 dives between July and September. The crew located Keystone State on July 4 using a side-scan sonar device. The divers also recorded footage for DVDs that Trotter intends on selling on the Internet and using for demonstrations.
Maritime expert C. Patrick Labadie added that this find could be a window into ship-building techniques of the time.
"This one stands out," Labadie told AP. "It's a unique wreck."
