Lake Erie shipwreck identified in area where explorer died in diving accident

A long-lost shipwreck has been identified in Lake Erie, the National Museum of the Great Lakes and the Cleveland Underwater Explorers said Wednesday. The wreck is in the same area where the founder of the exploration organization died in June 2024. 

The wreck has been confirmed to be that of the Clough, a stone-hauling sailing vessel that was built in Ohio in 1867 and sank a year later, according to the museum. The ship was 125 feet long and 26.5 feet wide. It had three masts and was rigged with square sails. It was transporting stone when it sank on September 15, 1868, the museum said. 

The museum shared photos that show the steering wheel and hull of the ship underwater, covered in growth. 

Cleveland Underwater Explorers founder David VanZandt was working on the wreck’s identification when he died, the museum said. CBS News reported that VanZandt, 70, was “diving on a newly found shipwreck” when he “failed to return to the boat and suffered a fatal diving accident.” The U.S. Coast Guard said its crews and state agencies helped search for VanZandt. Local divers were the ones to find his body, nearly four hours after he was reported missing. 

The museum said that while the wreck site is “associated with the tragic loss,” it and the Cleveland Underwater Explorers were “committed to completing the identification process with care, accuracy, and respect.” 

“This discovery represents both a significant chapter in Great Lakes maritime history and a meaningful continuation of David VanZandt’s legacy,” said Carrie Sowden, the director of archaeology and research at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in a news release. 

The museum and the Cleveland Underwater Explorers have been locating and identifying shipwrecks in Lake Erie since 2001. Before confirming the identity of the Clough, they held several site visits, created a detailed map of the area and conducted “extensive historical research,” according to the museum. 

The discovery will be detailed in a “micro-exhibit” highlighting the Clough and the identification process, the organizations said. The exhibit begins at the museum on Wednesday and will run until mid-April. The Cleveland Underwater Explorers said the display will offer “a rare behind-the-scenes look at underwater exploration and historical research, connecting modern discovery with 19th-century Great Lakes commerce.”