The
Griffon (Griffin in English)
was the first European vessel to
sail the Upper Great Lakes –
and the first of upwards of 8000
shipwrecks in those waters as well.
Built by the legendary French explorer,
Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La
Salle, the Griffon was
intended to carry out lucrative
fur-trading commerce which would
support La Salle’s expedition
in search of the mouth of the Mississippi.
September 18, 1679, was the return maiden voyage of the Griffon. The vessel, loaded with 6000 pounds of furs, sailed out from present day Washington Harbor on Washington Island in northern Lake Michigan into the mists of history, never to be seen again. Until, that is, the summer of 2001 when Steve Libert, president of Great Lakes Exploration located what may be the ruins of a shipwreck.
During a routine dive, Libert discovered something protruding from the murky lake floor. Subsequent inspection suggested that this might be the bowsprit of a ship… and a very old one. Libert, who has spent 28 years researching the history of the Griffon, believes that he may have found the historic Griffon.
About Great Lakes Exploration Group
Libert believed he had happened on a promising find, possibly of historic proportions. He formed the Great Lakes Exploration Group with the vision and purpose of identifying, protecting and preserving this potentially rare piece of North American history.
Since the 2001 finding, Libert and the Great Lakes Exploration Group have worked steadily with the Field Museum, Chicago, IL, in conducting preliminary studies of the wreck in situ. Great Lakes Exploration Group filed an admiralty arrest in the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan in the summer of 2004. Great Lakes hopes for and is working toward a truly cooperative public/private venture that will protect the scientific and historical value of the shipwreck. Libert wants to take every possible step to maintain the finding’s archaeological and historic importance.
Expedition Outreach:
The
Purpose of this Web Site
Great Lakes designed this web site to reach out to experts, academia, other explorers and the public at large. The purpose of the web site is to chronicle the ongoing expedition of the Great Lakes Exploration Group – not to confirm or claim that the Griffon has been positively identified. We intend to use this site to inform the public and education institutions of existing research and test analysis. Our purpose is to give all interested parties an opportunity to stay informed and participate in the exploration. |
