Old Whitey
When you think of shipwrecks, you may not automatically think of lakes. But, Lake Superior has seen over 50 known notable wrecks so it should come as no surprise that it is full of local legend and lore. One of those legends is that of Old Whitey.
But to learn more about Old Whitey, we have to go back to the story of the wreck. The SS Kamloops was a lake freighter beginning in 1924. However, that came to a sudden end around December 6th. That night, a massive storm began to hammer Lake Superior. The Kamloops was last seen operationally on December 6th, covered in ice.
After no response, a search for the Kamloops began on December 12th and lasted nearly two weeks. On December 22nd, after a thorough search of the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale, the rescue team had to give up. The 22 people aboard, were never seen alive again.
A further search took place in April 1928, and several fishermen discovered the remains of several of the crewmembers on Isle Royale. Then, in June, the search continued and several bodies were discovered but the wreck and the rest of the crew were never found. In total, nine bodies were discovered and five were identified and sent to next of kin. Four remain unknown and were buried at Thunder Bay.
However, that’s not quite where our story ends. In December 1928, a year after the incident, a trapper found a message in the bottle of the Agawa River. It contained a note written by Alice Bettridge. Alice survived the initial sinking of the Kamloops and, before dying, wrote a note describing the wreck and how she survived, for a while, by making it to shore. Sadly, she ended her note with: “I am the last one left alive, freezing and starving to death on Isle Royale. I just want mom and dad to know my fate.” She signed it, “Al, who is dead.”
Surprisingly, the once-ghost ship was found on August, 21st 1977. It was discovered at the lake bottom, 260 feet down. The divers who initially found it said there were bodies still aboard, as well as a host of goods such as candies and molasses. The cause of the sinking, though, is still unknown.
Now that you know the sad fate of those aboard, let’s head back to Old Whitey.
It is said that divers who visit the wreck sight say he has a tendency to float up behind divers and scare them. Other times, he appears curious and even follows divers around as they search the ship. It is believed this spirit is connected to his incredibly well-preserved corpse, which awaits visitors in the engine room. He is typically known as Old Whitey, but you may hear some call him, affentionately, grandpa.
He is called Old Whitey, though, because his corpse is incredibly white. It is said that, when you enter the engine room, Old Whitey’s corpse (and not his spirit) even follow you about the engine room...although some claim that this is just an effect of movement in the water.
Others claim that his corpse, and not just his ghost, would physically remove itself from the engine room and follow divers about...before returning to his rightful place.
Despite the frightening appearance of his spirit, or corpse, moving it does not seem as if Old Whitey has any mal intent. Although it is a frightening experience, it seems no one is actually afraid of Old Whitey or his intents. Perhaps, he is just interested in the company after so many decades alone.
Thanks to Marco A. for this blogstonishing suggestion!
This image is of Daybreak over Lake Superior by flickr user Anne Marie Peterson. It is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)