The Ironton and the Yawl That Held a 125-Year Secret

In September 1894, the schooner barge Ironton was making its way north across Lake Huron when a routine tow suddenly began to unravel. A mechanical failure, rough seas, and an unexpected encounter in the darkness set off a chain of events that would end deep in the waters of Shipwreck Alley.For more than a century, the Ironton remained lost beneath Lake Huron. Then modern explorers found the wreck remarkably preserved, and with it, a small yawl that held the key to one of the most haunting mysteries of the ship’s final night.In this episode of Lake Effect, we follow the Ironton’s final voyage, the disaster that sent her to the bottom, the desperate struggle that followed, and the discovery that finally revealed a secret hidden beneath the lake for 125 years.A true story of Great Lakes shipwrecks, Lake Huron history, maritime disaster, survival, and underwater exploration.