This Michigan museum overlooks the grave of Lake Superior’s greatest mystery

The Inkerman and Cerisoles’ Fatal November Storm

Lake Superior hides a war story few know. Just days after World War I ended, three French minesweepers left Thunder Bay bound for Europe.

The wooden-hulled warships Inkerman, Cerisoles, and Sebastopol sailed into a November blizzard with 50-mph winds and towering waves. Only Sebastopol made it through.

The other two ships and their 78 men vanished without a trace. Searchers found just one small boat washed ashore with unused oars.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Michigan now tells this tale of the worst disaster in Lake Superior’s long, dark history.

Thunder Bay Shipyard Got $2.5 Million to Build Warships in 1918

Canadian Car and Foundry scored a huge $2. 5 million contract in February 1918. The French Navy wanted 12 Navarin-class minesweepers for the war.

The company built new shipyards in Fort William, Ontario, even though they’d never made ships before. Workers came from all over North America because skilled workers were scarce during wartime.

They launched their first ship, Navarin, in July 1918, and sped up work through fall.

These Wooden Warships Could Clear Mines and Catch Fish

Each ship stretched 143 feet long with steel frames and wooden hulls weighing 630 tons. They had four watertight compartments to stay afloat if damaged.

The ships came with twin screws, a single funnel, and two strong 100mm deck guns that could fire up to 12 miles. The French built these ships to clear mines during war and fish as trawlers during peace.

They named all ships after famous battles: Navarin, Mantoue, Inkerman, Cerisoles, Sebastopol and others.

World War I Ended Just as the Last Ships Were Finished

The war stopped on November 11, 1918, when everyone signed the Armistice, right as workers finished the last three minesweepers.

They launched Inkerman on October 3, Cerisoles on September 25, and Sebastopol on September 30, 1918.

Though the fighting ended, the contract still required delivery of all ships to Montreal and then France through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

The first nine ships had already reached France in groups of three.

Three Ships Left Port on a Cold November Day

On November 23, 1918, the Inkerman, Cerisoles, and Sebastopol sailed from Fort William harbor on their first trip. Each ship carried 38 French sailors plus one Canadian Great Lakes pilot who knew the local waters.

Captains R. Wilson and W.J. Murphy steered Inkerman and Cerisoles. First Lieutenant Marcel Leclerc led the small fleet from the Sebastopol.

The ships moved down the Kaministiquia River past the Sleeping Giant rock formation, heading toward Isle Royale.

A Brutal Blizzard Hit the Ships With 30-Foot Waves

The ships ran into a terrible storm with 50-mph winds and massive waves between Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Leclerc tried to get his ships to safety in the protected waters of Bete Grise Bay around Keweenaw Point. The three vessels lost sight of each other in the blinding snow and huge waves.

Sailors who lived through the ordeal later told how scary it was: “We had to get out the life boats and put on lifebelts.”

One Ship Barely Made It Through the Storm

Water poured into Sebastopol’s engine room, almost putting out the boiler fires that powered the ship.

The storm hit the vessel so hard that rivets popped out and seams opened up, forcing the crew to pump constantly.

After fighting the storm for two days, Sebastopol limped into Sault Ste. Marie on November 26. Leclerc waited but the other ships had already sunk.

People Started Looking for the Missing Ships in December

Search efforts began on December 3, 1918, when Inkerman and Cerisoles didn’t show up. Canadian and American newspapers reported the ships as late that same day.

Coast Guard vessels and civilian boats searched Lake Superior waters near the Keweenaw Peninsula. They found no sign of either vessel or any of the 78 missing crew members during these first searches.

A Small Boat Washed Ashore Was the Only Clue

Coast Guard keeper Harry Miller found a small yawl boat washed up on the beach near Two-Hearted River Station on December 10.

The boat had “Cerisoles” written on it, with unused oars still inside, suggesting the crew never got a chance to launch lifeboats.

This discovery told searchers that the ships probably sank very quickly without giving the sailors time to escape.

No other debris, bodies, or wreckage turned up despite lots of searching.

After Two Weeks, They Gave Up Looking

Captain Leclerc officially stopped the search on December 15 after two weeks of finding nothing.

Newspapers reported these “last attempt” search operations before everyone gave up hope. All 78 men were lost: 76 French sailors and 2 Canadian pilots.

This tragedy stands as the largest loss of life in Lake Superior maritime history, a record that remains unbroken today.

Nobody Knows Exactly How the Ships Went Down

Experts think the ships might have capsized off Keweenaw Point where witnesses last spotted them. The heavy deck guns could have made the vessels top-heavy and unsteady in the bad weather.

Some people claimed they saw the ships running close to shore heading east during the storm. A few rumors suggested insurance fraud, but all evidence shows the crews and ships truly vanished.

Shipwreck Hunters Still Can’t Find These Lost Vessels

Modern search teams have tried multiple times to locate the wrecks using advanced sonar and underwater robots, but always come up empty-handed.

Michigan Technological University, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, and even Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” have searched without success.

The Inkerman and Cerisoles remain the last military vessels lost on the Great Lakes, their final resting places still unknown somewhere in Lake Superior’s cold depths.

Visiting Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Michigan

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at 18335 N. Whitefish Point Road in Paradise explores the mystery of the French minesweepers that vanished in 1918.

You can visit May through October from 9am to 5pm for $13 adults, $9 kids, or $40 for families. Climb the lighthouse tower for an extra $5 donation to learn about this unsolved maritime tragedy.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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