The idea of ships gliding across the seven seas, manned by a long-dead crew is something that has captured imaginations for centuries.
From the earliest sea explorers to contemporary fans of Pirates of the Caribbean, human beings love scaring ourselves silly with stories of ravaged ships slimy with seaweed and the feet of the drowned.
And so settle back beside your glowing fireplace/iPad, because I have a spine tingling yarn here to spin; complete with ghostly sails billowing high above murky, secretive waters…
Lake Superior is the largest of North America’s Great Lakes, shared between Ontario to the north, Minnesota to the west, and Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the south.
And it has a rich and occasionally devastating history. The southern shore (between Grand Marais and Whitefish Point, MI) has been described as the ‘Graveyard of the Great Lakes’ by shipwreck historian, Frederick Stonehouse.
And with very good reason. The area is notorious for shipwrecks, particularly during the shipping peak between the 1880s and 1900.
Fascinating divers and historians alike, the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve contains 23 known shipwrecks; submerged in the freezing depths forever.
Overall, there are over 200 known shipwrecks at the bottom of Lake Superior; inextricably connected to countless human stories long faded from living memory.
Stonehouse told Twin Cities:
When you have a stretch of 200 miles of water with prevailing northwest winds, it builds terrific seas that cause these shipwrecks on dangerous waters.
Although there was less shipping on this lake (Lake Superior), it was far more deadly.
Videographer Jason Asselin was out shooting an atmospheric music video for alt-rock musician Kevin B Klein.
However, when Jason tried to capture the image of a rainbow, his camera caught something far more disconcerting.
Stood on the shores of Marquette’s Presque Isle Park, the cameraman filmed what appeared the be a huge ghost ship; grey and shadowy against the horizon.
Jason said:
Far off coast from Marquette, Michigan appeared this mysterious ship that had to be gigantic!
I was filming a music video of Nashville recording artist Kevin B Klein playing his new song “My Michigan” and we wanted to see the sunset before a long drive that evening.
Jason later uploaded the creepy footage to YouTube, where it has since been viewed over three million times.
Many commenters were convinced they were looking at the ghostly apparition of The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, with one person ominously remarking, ‘the lake it is said never gives up her dead.’
This is reportedly a popular saying in the area. The water is said to be so cold, bacterial growth is inhibited; and so corpses which would usually bloat with gas and float sink far beneath the choppy surface; never to be seen again.
This wouldn’t be the first ghost ship sighting at Lake Superior, with many a land lubber before Jason left spooked by unexplained happenings. However, there is potentially a much less supernatural reason behind these spectral sightings.
Many locals have come forward to explain how Jason was probably just looking at the Granite Island Lighthouse which can take on a shimmering, mirage like quality when viewed from various points around Marquette.
Whatever the explanation may be, it would take a hardy person indeed to witness this phenomenon at such a historically loaded location and not shiver…
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.