[Bubba Ho-Tep]

There's another story on this I read last week that tells a much more mundane story. While trapped in the ice in the Detroit River in 1898, she burned down to the water line. The owners refitted the hull as a barge and she was used that way until 1927. when the economy turned bad. She sat unused until 1932, when she was dragged to this spot and burned again. After that, sediment built up and it was basically buried, with scrub vegetation growing over it. Lately, the island's been eroding on that side, uncovering the wreck when the water levels dropped.

[TXnMA]

Thank you for that insight! BTW, that looks like a strange fore-aft attitude — even for an (apparently) unladen wooden ship. Must have been heavy stuff in that aft engine room...

[DouglasKC]

While trapped in the ice in the Detroit River in 1898, she burned down to the water line. The owners refitted the hull as a barge and she was used that way until 1927. when the economy turned bad. She sat unused until 1932, when she was dragged to this spot and burned again. After that, sediment built up and it was basically buried, with scrub vegetation growing over it.

It's not generally known today, but Harbor Island used to be the town dump. Anything that anyone didn't want or need ended up at Harbor Island. That's why there's remnants of at least 4 other ship "wrecks" in that area. They're not wrecks..they were dragged there to be disposed of.

Quite a few years ago they brought in a bunch of fill dirt and basically covered up the junk. There's a bunch history buried there.