Expecting nothing more than a routine day of fishing, Tim Wollack and his daughter Henley were startled when their sonar equipment detected what seemed like an octopus beneath their boat. However, this underwater mystery unveiled a long-lost shipwreck, a discovery confirmed by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The adventure unfolded as the Wollacks fished in Wisconsin waters. Henley's initial guess was a whimsical "Green Bay Octopus," but further investigation by her father hinted at something far more significant. Suspecting they had stumbled upon the Erie L. Hackley, a ship missing for over 150 years, Tim turned to social media for insights.
His shared images and queries caught the attention of the Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program. Collaborating with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Conservation Warden Mike Neal, the group deployed a Video Ray ROV to examine the site on December 4.
Within moments, the underwater exploration revealed a wooden three-masted sailing ship in shallow waters.
While the ship's identity remains unconfirmed, the evidence strongly suggests it is the barkentine George L. Newman, a vessel lost over 152 years ago and absent from historical and nautical charts. The George L. Newman, a ship measuring 122 feet in length, met its fate amidst the Great Peshtigo Fire, the deadliest in US history.
The Wisconsin Historical Society plans to survey the wreck in spring 2024, assessing its eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.