The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) is reveling in the discovery of one of the oldest and most ill-fated ships to sink off the Shipwreck Coast of Lake Superior.

This week, the GLSHS proudly announced the identification of the Nucleus, a 144-foot barquentine, resting beneath 600 feet of water northwest of Vermilion Point on Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast in Michigan.

Doomed by misfortune, the Nucleus sank on September 14, 1869, marking not its first but final plunge. The ship earned the moniker "Bad Luck Barquentine" due to its history of numerous mishaps.

Corey Adkins, the Director of Content and Communications at GLSHS, expressed astonishment at the discovery, labeling the Nucleus as one of the oldest shipwrecks along the Shipwreck Coast. The wreck revealed shovels scattered across the seabed, reflecting the challenging working conditions faced by the crew in the 19th century.

Adkins elaborated on the hardships, stating, "These guys had to unload the cargo themselves. Just imagine having to load all that iron ore into the holds of that ship, and then unload it, and they did it with those shovels."

The ill-fated journey of the Nucleus on September 14, 1869, commenced from Marquette, Michigan, destined for Sault Ste. Marie, laden with iron ore. Caught in a storm on Lake Superior, the ship began taking on water, leading to the crew's abandonment of the vessel.

Despite the crew escaping in lifeboats, their rescue by the steamship Union took a sinister turn when the Union, after approaching the distressed crew, callously continued its journey, leaving them stranded. Research is underway to ascertain if the Union's captain and crew faced repercussions for their heartless act.

Amidst the harsh conditions of 1869, the stranded crew found salvation a few hours later when rescued by the schooner Worthington, ensuring the survival of all Nucleus crew members.

By the time of its final sinking, the Nucleus had encountered 11 recorded incidents, including two previous sinkings, grounding, and a collision that sank the S.S. Detroit on Lake Huron in 1854. In 1858, a crew member lost their life falling from one of the ship's masts.

The GLSHS first detected a wreck using sonar in the summer of 2021, and subsequent exploration with a remotely-operated vehicle confirmed the identity of the Nucleus. The summer of 2021 proved exceptionally fruitful, with the GLSHS discovering a total of 10 wrecks, an unprecedented feat for a single season.

As the organization endeavors to identify the remaining wrecks, Adkins emphasizes the importance of uncovering and sharing these submerged historical narratives, declaring, "There's so many wrecks, so many stories, and every single one of them deserves to be told, and told correctly."