Family on fishing trip thought their sonar detected an octopus. It was a shipwreck missing for 152 years

A father and his daughter who were fishing on Lake Michigan earlier this year were surprised when their sonar discovered what they thought was an octopus lurking beneath their vessel.

What they actually likely discovered was a shipwreck missing for over 150 years, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Tim Wollack and his daughter, Henley, were fishing on Lake Michigan in Wisconsin waters when their sonar pinged and Henley believed they had found a “rare ‘Green Bay Octopus,'” according to a statement from the Wisconsin Historical Society released on Monday.

Realizing it was not a cephalopod swimming beneath their fishing boat, Tim Wollack “did a little research and believed the wreck he found was that of the Erie L. Hackley,” officials said.

However, the discovery led Wollack to post images and questions about the shipwreck to several groups on social media which, eventually, found their way to the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program.

“Working with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Conservation Warden Mike Neal, the shipwreck was investigated with Video Ray ROV on December 4,” said the Wisconsin Historical Society. “The wreck is of a wooden three masted sailing ship and is in 8 to 10 feet of water. Although the identity of the wreck has yet been confirmed, the location and current available data fits with that of the barkentine George L. Newman.”

Missing for more than 152 years, the shipwreck of the George L. Newman is not marked on any historical or nautical charts, according to officials.

“The vessel measured 122 feet long and 26.3 feet in beam with a 11-foot depth of hold,” said the Wisconsin Historical Society. “On the evening of October 8, 1871, the barkentine was sailing through the thick smoke from the Great Peshtigo Fire – the deadliest fire in U.S. history – with a cargo of Lumber from Little Suamico when it grounded on the southeast point of Green Island.”

According to historical records, the smoke was so dense that the Green Island lighthouse keeper kept the light on during the day and keeper Samuel Drew rescued the crew, who remained at the lighthouse for a week while they salvaged what they could from the wrecked vessel, officials said.

“The ship was abandoned, became covered with sand, and was largely forgotten – until it became exposed and was located by the Wollacks this past summer. The Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program will survey the wreck in the spring of 2024 and assess the site for listing on the National Register of Historic Places,” officials said in their statement announcing the possible discovery.

The wooden three masted bark George L. Newman was built in Black River, Ohio, in 1855 by Benjamin Flint and valued at $8,800 at the time of its construction (about $300,000 in 2023 value) and sailed only 16 years before its ultimate demise in 1871.