"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. Mr Libert said: 'Our extensive research and deciphering of historic documents led us precisely to the resting place of an undiscovered colonial-age ship.'. (Image: Great Lakes Exploration Group via Pen News) The wreck was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan, almost 350 years after it vanished. It was the first big ship to sail the Great Lakes. Valerie van Heest, a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, says, There have been 30 or more discoveries of the Griffon dating back to early 1800s. Inside Prince Harry's finances from when he met Meghan Markle to landing 100M with Netflix and book Spare Royally hard work! Steve Libert diving on the ship in 2018. His conclusion: The remains of the ship Le Griffon in French sank in shallow water in the Huron Islands of northern Lake Michigan, northeast of Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the loss of all the crew members aboard. 3 Griffon Vulture Amazing Facts. Metiomek, an Iroquois prophet, apparently told La Salle: 'Beware! Libert says the evidence hes amassed pinpoints where the wreckage of the 40- to 45-ton ship now rests: in shallow water near Poverty Island and Summer Island. The 1633 journey left from Downs, England and landed at Plymouth in Plymouth Colony on September 3. With La Salle back aboard their vessel, the company again sailed west until, about 25 miles (40km) from Niagara, weather checked their progress. At 42.5 inches tall, the "Pisa Griffin" is the largest bronze medieval Islamic sculpture on the planet and was made in the 11th Century CE. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. ', The wreck believed to be the Griffin was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan. A ship in shallow water gets beat up quickly. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Here are 26 other famous shipwrecks around the world. He learned to dive, and the quest was on. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on the Le Griffon's maiden voyage on August 7, 1679 with a crew of 32, sailing across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. It has become one of the most sought after and perhaps one of the most "found" shipwrecks in the Great Lakes! 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. 1 Answer. It wanted to sail across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through waters only canoes had previously explored. [Shipwrecks Gallery: Secrets of the Deep].