Le Griffon may have been found by the Great Lakes Exploration Group but the potential remains were the subject of lawsuits involving the discoverers, the state of Michigan, the U.S. federal government, and the Government of France. "The [American] Indians told the captain not to sail out, to wait the storm out, but he wouldn't listen to them," Baillod said. Newsroom Calendar Most of the ship remnants were in shallow, not deep water makes the other claims inaccurate. Tonti's journal says it was adverse winds. I was mesmerized by what he was saying. Or the Jesuits had something to do with the disappearance. The divers said they found Le Griffon in 2011, but are just announcing the discovery because they were consulting experts to confirm it. Pictured: Images of the 2018 dive on a wreck found in 2018 near Poverty Island, Lake Michigan. Le Griffon launched August 7, 1679 from Cayuga Island (Niagara Falls, NY). The Griffin was last seen struggling off Washington Island and was never heard from again. Le Griffon is considered by some to be the "holy grail of Great Lakes Shipwrecks" largely because it was the first sailing ship to cruise the Great Lakes. La Salle whose full name was the noble-sounding Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle wasnt aboard the Griffon. The Griffin, a large ship built by Frenchman Rene Robert Cavalli, disappeared on its maiden voyage some 343 years ago. Until there is an expedition (to the site) with politically unaligned professionals, I will not weigh in one way or another, said Vrana, whose nonprofit group has consulted with Libert. Rochester, New York - The wreckage of the schooner Atlas which sank in 1839 during a gale has been located in Lake Ontario. The divers who discovered the wreck believe it to be the Griffin, an exploration ship laden with furs, cannon, muskets and shipyard supplies that went down in a storm in 1679 in Lake Michigan, on . Now, treasure hunters who believe they found it, said to have stumbled upon it by accident. That is my question. Despite photos from several underwater dives, it's still unclear whether the wreck is the 1679 French Griffin. After launching, it sailed the Niagara River to Lake Ontario, onward to Lake Erie, then by way of the St. Clair River to Lake Huron and northward to St. Ignace, the Straits of Mackinac and, finally, Lake Michigan. A 'cursed' shipwreck which sank almost 350 years ago has been identified in one of North America's Great Lakes, bringing to an end a maritime mystery. It was the first big ship to sail the Great Lakes. The ship was a work of art, featuring a majestic griffin (half lion, half eagle) figurehead on its front and an eagle on its stern. 'The imagery depicted the keelson and frames,' he said. She was the largest sailing vessel on the Great Lakes up to that time. CNS correspondents cover all aspects of Michigan state government. "That was kind of telling to us that the ship probably weathered a storm; otherwise, there would probably be a rudder on it.". They moored in quiet water off Squaw Island three miles from Lake Erie waiting for favorable northeast winds. The exact size and construction of Le Griffon is not known but many researchers believe she was a 45-ton barque. Shipwrecks are found either beached on land or sunken to the seabed of a body of water. Le Griffon Shipwreck. A history teacher inspired Libert in school. La Salle whose full name was the noble-sounding Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Sallewasnt aboard the Griffon. The cursed shipwreck, the 'Griffin,' is an incredible find with the history and the tales associated with it till now. It was another vessel used by La Salle and Tonti, however, that was the first loss on 8 January 1679. Moreover, Baillod said he hasn't heard of anyone looking for the Griffin near the Beaver Island archipelago, which is likely the area mentioned in La Salle's journal, Baillod said. La Salle oversaw the laying of Le Griffon's keel and drove her first bolt. Legions of searchers have tried to track down its. A ship that was 'cursed' by native tribesmen has been identified nearly 350 years after it vanished, solving one of America's oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries. It takes nine months for the puppies to reach the adult weight and can take up to one and a half years for larger dogs to achieve adult weight. Green and Ken Vrana, the principal of Maritime Heritage Consulting, advocate an independent assessment by professionals. Many authors since Mansfield have followed suit. Several historical and genealogical references show the Griffin making such journeys in 1633 and 1634. She also reports on general science, including archaeology and paleontology. Wherever the Griffon is, if its in deep water somewhere, there are cannons near it, she says. While frozen rivers made traveling easy, finding food was not. However, Dykstra said they've been advised to not disclose where they found the wreck in order tohelp preserve what's left of the ship. Each November, the East Lansing Film Festival showcases independent films. 3 Griffon Vulture Amazing Facts. The unrest of the Seneca and dissatisfied workmen were continually incited by secret agents of merchants and traders who feared La Salle would break their monopoly on the fur trade. He was more successful in securing the Indians' tolerance of his proposed "big canoe" and support buildings. [1][2], Hennepin's first account says she was a vessel of about 45 tons; his second says 60 tons. Mr Libert said: 'I believe the state feels we are encroaching upon their sovereignty and feels we are nothing more than treasure hunters intruding on the rights of academia and archaeologists. According to Mr and Mrs Libert, The Griffin is a good match for wreckage found in 2018 near Poverty Island, Lake Michigan. MICHIGAN -- Le Griffon, a well known ship that sunk in Lake Michigan during the 17th century, has been hiding at the depths of the lake for more than 300 years. I was mesmerized by what he was saying. 'The Christian Indian's curse rests on you and on your great canoe. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. It would be busted up, she said. But Libert says, Many people believe I continue to cry wolf and contact the press every time we find a wreck claiming them to be the Griffon. [8], Meanwhile, La Salle and Henri de Tonti, had departed Fort Frontenac in a second vessel some days after La Motte and Hennepin. No villain can mess with the griffin! Every one of these shipwreck hunters finds a bone pile and claims its the Griffon.. Join the discussion, Playing Nov. 3-10: East Lansing Film Festivals silver anniversary. Welcome to the Coronation! The other wreckage has been approximately dated to between 1632 and 1682. One candidate is a wreck at the western end of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, with another wreck near Escanaba, Michigan, also proposed. My interest began the day my teacher reached over and touched my shoulder and said out loud in class, Maybe one day someone in this class will find it.. Unexpectedly, a nail attached itself to the magnet, and the treasure hunters only discovered it later, once they were above water. Ghost Ship of the Great Lakes: With Josh Gates, Joan Forsberg, Brendon Baillod, Greg Busch. As the eagle was considered the 'king of the birds', and the lion the 'king of the beasts', the griffin was perceived as a powerful and majestic creature. Keen to get away from the neighbours? He noted that the wreck is near the western Michigan coast, not near Beaver Island, the area mentioned in La Salle's journal. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site on autism research. Original article on Live Science. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. La Salle never saw Le Griffon again. In January of 1679, the Griffon's building party arrived at the mouth of Cayuga Creek on the Niagara River (about a mile from my high school) where the ship would be built. Maritime historians best guess, she says, is that it sank between Beaver Island and the southern coast of the Upper Peninsula, possibly within sight of shore between what are now Manistique and Naubinway. They concluded it was likely a bowsprit dating from a ship hundreds of years old, although some think it was a common pound net stake used for fishing nets in the 19th century. The Griffon was the first ship ever to sail the Great Lakes, originally built to haul furs from the Green Bay area to Detroit. With incredible strength, unfailing protective instincts, and a zero-tolerance policy against evil, it is the superhero of mythological creatures. [1] The French flag flew above the cabin placed on top of the main deck that was elevated above the hull. Some time later, Hennepin would use this little vessel to sail to Fort Frontenac and again back to Niagara. While there have been many theories over the years, there is no clear consensus as to the fate or current location of Le Griffon. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. It's not clear what led to the ship's sinking more than 340 years ago. That is simply not true.. The wind did slightly decrease but they drifted slowly all night, unable to find anchorage or shelter. Mr Libert said the evidence suggests that the ship was lost in a storm, A photo from the 2018 dive shows the bowsprit of the ship believed to be The Griffin. Now shipwreck hunters Steve and Kathie Libert say they have found the infamous vessel, which was the first to sail the Great Lakes beyond Niagara Falls. [1], Upon Le Griffon's safe arrival at St. Ignace, the voyagers fired a salute from her deck that the Hurons on shore volleyed three times with their firearms. La Salle returned to the area in 1682, to try again to locate the Mississippi's mouth. The Griffin - a ship that was 'cursed' by native tribesmen - has been identified nearly 350 years after it vanished, solving one of America's oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries. Some say that this vessel was named the Frontenac, while others say the other vessel used on La Salle's expedition was Frontenac. If the state underwater archaeologist were to look at the wreck, he would look for artifacts that could be dated, such as ceramics or glass. LaSalle's Griffon has not been found. While the journals of Tonti, Hennepin, and LeClercq (participants with La Salle) do mention a little vessel of 10 tons, none of them apply a name to it. Cathy Green, the executive director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, is also skeptical, calling it highly unlikely that its the Griffon and nearly impossible to definitively know because of the centuries of damage to shallow water wrecks from ice, storms and rising and falling lake levels. Acknowledging that French archeologists side with Libert, she asks what they know about Native American fishing practices. Two divers say they have found "Le Griffon," a 17th-century sailing ship widely considered the "holy grail" of shipwrecks. Rather, it may be the remnants of a tugboat that was scrapped after "steam engines became more economical to operate," said Brendon Baillod, a Great Lakes historian who has written scholarly papers on the Griffin. In any case, Le Griffon was larger than any other vessel on the lakes at the time, and as far as contemporary reports can confirm, the first named vessel. While they were at times fitted with mast and sails, their primary propulsion was either oars or poles. While they recognize that conclusive evidence has not been found, the evidence that has been found there fits with what is known of the history of that time and they postulate that if Le Griffon is found elsewhere, that would deepen the mystery of the find by Cullis.[22]. But the latest finding, made popular again by Wreck Diving Magazine in its latest issue, holds a number of clues about the ship's past. Lawrence. On a subsequent dive, Dykstra took a magnet with him to help determine the metal composition of the ship. A griffin (or gryphon) is a chimeric creature, part eagle and part lion. He was planning to map the Great Lakes, initially thinking they might be a connecting gateway to the Orient. Copyright 2023, Michigan State University. Justin Windsor notes that Count Frontenac by 1 August 1673, "had already ordered the construction of a vessel on Ontario to be used as an auxiliary force to Fort Frontenac. All rights reserved. The male wirehaired pointer weighs around 50-70 lb, and the females are around 35-50 lb. ', 'The Seneca were in awe of the French for having built such a large canoe. The two men did not bring up the nail on purpose, and they plan to return it to the state, said Dean Anderson, the state archaeologist for Michigan. As noted above, sources give its size as either 20 tons or 40 tons. Josh Gates tackles an enduring maritime mystery, the first ship to be lost in the Great Lakes, the Griffon. Images of the severely dilapidated wreckage show it lying on the bed of Lake Michigan, This image shows the ship's keelson - the structure which fastens a ship's floor timbers to its keel. Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Plan To Be Weighed By US Supreme Court, San Antonio Couple Allegedly Trained Their Dogs To Be Aggressive Before Air Force Veteran Gets Mauled to Death, Hungary Says Sweden Is Spreading Fake News Concerning Budapest Will Not Help Its NATO Bid, Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval-Ariana Madix Split: Raquel Leviss Admits Doing 1 Thing Amid Affair Rumors. There are three acceptable English spellings of the word: griffin, griffon and gryphon. La Salle who was not aboard The Griffin when it disappeared never found out what happened to his ship, but the wreckage sheds new light on its fate. Native tradition holds that The Griffin became a ghost ship, whose crew are sometimes heard chanting as she sails among the clouds on a moonlit night. Then they also talk with real people the individual citizens and businesses in communities to get their reactions to whats happening in Lansing. Order from www.seawolfcommunications.com or call them at 630-293-8996. by Anonymous -
They arrived late on 5 December, but the weather was rough and they did not want to run the surf and outflow of the river at night, so they stayed a few miles off shore. While diving in Lake Michigan, two men stumbled upon a shipwreck they think is a 1676 French ship named 'Le Griffon,' or The Griffin. Cris Kohl and wife Joan Forsberg have conducted over 20 years of research in order to write their new book The Wreck of the Griffon, the explorer La Salles ship that disappeared in 1679 on its return voyage from Lake Michigan. Le Griffon, 17th-century sailing ship built by Robert de La Salle may have been found in Lake Michigan 335 years after it disappeared. "It's a mystery ship that got in our way," Dykstra said, "and now, we're going for the gold.". He then charged La Motte with salvage by use of canoes. The Griffin disappeared returning from its maiden voyage in 1679 and was last seen struggling in a storm near what is now Washington Island in Wisconsin. Mr Libert then spent two years sifting through satellite imagery before he made a breakthrough. Le Griffon was a 40 foot long barque (sailing ship) with 7 cannons. Baillod said he is "99 percent sure" that the wreck is not that of the Griffon. "It was a hand-forged nail, which helps date it back to that time period, we feel." 'If any of the latter was true the ship would rest in deeper water instead of shallow waters.'. [9][pageneeded] They wished to secure a reliable truce lest the natives interfere with their projects. Inside Prince Harry's finances from when he met Meghan Markle to landing 100M with Netflix and book Spare Royally hard work! Their inefficiency at beating to windward made them impractical as sailing vessels, and they were not very safe in open water. "When the Griffin left from Wisconsin, headed back to Niagara, it was never heard from again," Porter said. So, if the Griffons final resting place isnt where Libert believes it to be, where is it? Pictured: Some of the wreckage. Brooklyn celebrates turning 24 by heading out in Paris with wife Nicola Peltz and Nicola Peltz's fans question if 'feud' with mother-in-law Victoria Beckham is REALLY over as she posts Supermarkets strip vape device from stores after being found to be at least 50 per cent over legal nicotine Tragedies of Everest: The adventurers forever frozen in ice after losing their lives scaling the world's 'Why the last-minute delay?' When he and Monroe later reviewed the video, they realized it might be the Griffin. He arrived there nearly starved only to find that his detractors had succeeded in stirring up doubt and opposition with his creditors. 175 Year Old Great Lakes Atlas Schooner Located in Lake Ontario, Early 1800s Dagger-board Schooner Three Brothers Discovered in Lake Ontario, 1926 Steamship Nisbet Grammer Discovered in Lake Ontario, 158 year old Canadian Schooner Royal Albert Discovered in Lake Ontario, Mid-Nineteenth Century Canadian Schooner Ocean Wave Discovered by Shipwreck Explorers, Major Shipwreck Discovery in Lake Michigan. also was the first ship to sail the Great Lakes. All of those people have been wrong including Libert she says. Pictures show the bow of the ship with a carved sculpture. Metiomek, an Iroquois prophet, apparently told La Salle: 'Beware! REVEALED: Huge sonic boom felt by thousands across the country was caused by RAF Typhoon jets scrambling to Wakey Wakey! An explorer claims to have found the long lost French ship Le Griffon at the bottom of Lake Michigan. In 2011, Michigan-based treasure hunters Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe found a shipwreck as they were searching for the $2 million in gold that, according to local legend, fell from a ferry. Libert said some theories are supposed to explain what happened to the vessel. Father Hennepin wrote that during the fearful crisis of the storm, La Salle vowed that if God would deliver them, the first chapel erected in Louisiana would be dedicated to the memory of Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron of the sailor. Megan SampVoters at the Hannah Community Center share why voting matters to them. Website User Guide He recounts his hunt and discovery in Le Griffon and the Huron Islands, 1679 (Mission Point Press), written with his wife. He says that the ship must have been caught in a four-day storm, where the ship part found farther away would have broken off due to a powerful storm. Le Griffon - meaning 'The Griffin' - vanished during its maiden voyage in 1679 in one of the oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries in US history. But Dykstra and Monroe said they'll wait until they hear the final word. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. [citation needed], On 18 November 1678, after just over a month of preparations at Fort Frontenac, La Salle dispatched Captain La Motte and Father Louis Hennepin together with 15 men and supplies in a vessel of 10 tons. ', The wreck believed to be the Griffin was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan. LaSalle had the ship built on a creek near the Niagara River to accomplish his mission of finding a passage to China. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on Le Griffon's maiden voyage on 7 August 1679 with a crew of 32, sailing across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. There is reason, however, to question his assertion. It was crafted by French explorer Robert de La Salle. All rights reserved (About Us). The figurehead likely isn't the remains of a griffin, he said, but a "big encrustation of zebra mussels," on burned wood. They're not going back to the wreckage for a while, so they don't make the site vulnerable to other treasure seekers. [4] Some charged fur traders, and even Jesuits with her destruction. Van Heest responds, Most people that are not dreamers say that for it to still exist, it must be in deep water not affected by ice and storms.. [19][20] Their claim was quickly debunked when Michigan authorities dove down on 9 June 2015 after receiving the coordinates to verify its authenticity. 'Michel was spot on when he said the main body of the wreck would be within four miles of the bowsprit. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. We have corrected the story and replaced it with video and pictures that belong to FOX 17 News and Kevin Dykstra. To skeptics who doubt Liberts identification of the wreckage, he responds, The clues are there., Van Heest says the books account of the expedition from the Niagara River to Lake Michigan has the facts down, but once we get to the story of the supposed bowsprit it all falls apart because its not a bowsprit.. It would no longer exist. The Griffin, which disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679, has been called the 'holy grail' for shipwreck hunters probing North America's Great Lakes. [1][4], La Salle found some of the 15 men he sent ahead from Fort Frontenac to trade with the Illinois but they had listened to La Salle's enemies who said he would never reach the Straits of Mackinac. A bowsprit is the spar that extends forward from the bow. In Photos: Arctic Shipwreck Solves 170-Year-Old Mystery, 'Runaway' black hole the size of 20 million suns found speeding through space with a trail of newborn stars behind it, 'Unreal' auroras cover Earth in stunning photo taken by NASA astronaut. Heres the backstory as Libert tells it: LaSalle built the Griffon as his flagship upriver from Niagara Falls, probably on what is now the Canadian side of the Niagara River. A bowsprit is the spar that extends forward from the bow. From the web site of Libert's company: "There were plenty of theories of what happened to the flagship. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1649: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery. The griffin was a favourite decorative motif in the ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean lands. WWII German shipwreck found in Black Sea Airborne laser reveals hidden city in Cambodia The ship, commanded by the French explorer La Salle, was never seen again after setting sail in September. People remember the cautionary TV commercials from Do not sell or share my personal information. Menu viscount royal caravan. Its exact size and construction isn't known, but it was armed with seven cannons and at the time was the largest sailing vessel on the Great Lakes. At the time, no other wreckage was found, but scientists noted other wreckage may not be far away.[16][17]. [4] They were navigating Le Griffon through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. The Native Americans told La Salle the crew planned to sail toward the Straits of Mackinac in stormy weather. More than 100 Native American bark canoes gathered around Le Griffon to look at the "big wood canoe". "[7] None of these sources ascribe a name to any of these vessels. Le Griffon mysteriously went missing in 1679 and no one knows what happened between the time it was last seen until it was discovered three years ago, Libert said. To skeptics who doubt Liberts identification of the wreckage, he responds, The clues are there., Van Heest says the books account of the expedition from the Niagara River to Lake Michigan has the facts down, but once we get to the story of the supposed bowsprit it all falls apart because its not a bowsprit.. A ship in shallow water gets beat up quickly. Griffin is an English East India Company ship which sank in Sulu Sea near Basilan Island in 1761. The Griffon, built in 1679, sank that same year somewhere in the Great Lakes. the griffon shipwreck facts Western Dental Careers September 20, 2021 | 0 September 20, 2021 | 0 Now, more than 335 years later, the wreck of the Griffon has not definitively been found. Somewhere near present-day Toronto they were frozen in and had to chop their way out of the ice. It would be awesome if true, she says, a story shed love the museum to be able to tell visitors, with the aura of amateur treasure-hunting and Indiana Jones. Where are the cannons? Here are 26 other famous shipwrecks around the world. The Atlas may be the oldest confirmed commercial schooner discovered in the Great Lakes. They were open vessels (no deck) made of wood measuring up to about 35 feet (11m) long and capable of carrying three or four tons of cargo. Wood can break up. These social birds live in vulture colonies. @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Suffering from cold and low on supplies, the men were close to mutiny. "If you take the picture of the carving of the griffon and overlay it on what these gentleman have, it's very compelling," Porter said. Its discovery is credited to wreck hunters Stevie and Kathie Libert for the record. The bowsprit is seen here sticking out of the bed of Lake Michigan, The Liberts are prevented by the State of Michigan from conducting an in-depth excavation of the wreck site, Mr Libert said: 'It is just a matter of time before we achieve our goal.