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Since 2004, MSRA has conducted two annual search expeditions, one in search of Northwest Flight 2501 lasting four to six weeks each spring in

partnership with Clive Cussler and his team from the National Underwater Marine Agency, and another 10-day-expedition typically in June with David Trotter in search of lost ships.

In 2014, Clive Cussler made the difficult decision after 10 years and 10 expeditions, to end his involvement in the search for Flight 2501. The NUMA

team, led by Ralph Wilbanks, has operated out of South Haven (pictured below)since 2004 working with MSRA to attempt to solve the mystery of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501, which disappeared over Lake Michigan the night of June 23, 1950. After over 500 square miles of searching, the wreckage of Flight 2501 remains elusive. The frustration of that, plus a very busy book schedule prompted Mr. Cussler to reconsider the focus of his energies. MSRA is immensely grateful for the time, energy, and expense that Clive, Ralph, Steve Howard, and others on the NUMA team have put forth over the past decade, and contributing, over that time, more than eight new shipwreck discoveries.

Our partnership with Dave Trotter experienced a set back this year. Unfortunately, family matters kept Dave Trotter from participating in the 2014

shipwreck search, but he plans to be back in the spring.

Not wanting to miss a season of searching, MSRA geared up to continue the effort independent of our partners. Since MSRA’s sonar is only capable of

searching in water less than 150 feet, we coupled that with another sonar on loan from our associate, Alaska wreck hunter Kevin McGregor, for double coverage. We focused the search on continued efforts to find Flight 2501 in shallower waters that had not yet been covered by the NUMA/MSRA joint partnership.

Dear MSRA members, Although it is a long time coming due to our busy schedules, the latest issue of The Explorer illustrates how MSRA and its publishing and exhibit design partners are branching out to reach as wide a variety of people as possible with the stories of our maritime past.

Our work this year includes the delivery of almost 50 public programs given by MSRA directors Valerie van Heest and/or Craig Rich. It also includes work contributing to two museum exhibits, the continued promotion of books published by In-Depth Editions, the expansion of the book topics to include other non-maritime, but equally significant historical topics, the writing of articles, and the research, exploration and documentation work that we have been involved in since our founding, all the components of MSRA’s mission.

We are proud to have had an influence on the lives of a number of young people this year getting them involved in diving on and surveying shipwrecks, passing on the passion for our maritime past.

We hope you will plan to join MSRA for our annual holiday event on December 6 as the email accompanying this newsletter notes, and mark your calendar for our annual Mysteries and Histories: Beneath the Inland Seas on March 21, 2015 Jack van Heest Board of Directors, MSRA

November 2014 Vol 24

2014 Search Expedition

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At the encouragement of MSRA, our partner publisher has expanded their topics to include books on other local history topics. In-Depth is proud to present three new books: A Killing in Capone’s Playground, Off Color, and Jenison Electric Park. MSRA’s contributing forensic genealogist and historian Chriss Lyon, who provided invaluable assistance researching Flight 2501, delved into the topic of gangster’s in Southwest Michigan with her book, a killing in Capone’s playground. Two other authors, who have been following the work of MSRA over the years also had their books published. MSRA is happy to have been the impetus for disseminating quality, historical works. w

FATAL CROSSING

WINS AWARD Fatal Crossing: The Mysteri-ous Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers won a silver medal in the category of Great Lakes nonfiction in the Independent Publishers IPPY awards. Con-gratulations to Valerie for what has been her sixth literary award. w

NEW BOOKSIN-DEPTH EDITIONSThe Publishing Partner of MSRA

2014 Search Expedition (Con’t)MSRA members Jack and Valerie van Heest, Craig Rich, Larry Hatcher, and Neel Zoss crewed for the expeditions which resulted in 10 days of searching and

coverage of about 30 square miles. Unfortunately, no targets were found. We covered an average of three square miles per day, which is typical when searching for small anomalies like the broken and scattered remains of an airplane. On numerous occasions when only two people were on board, one piloting the boat and the other resting, the digital readout may have gone unwatched for a time, which makes our winter season important too. All of the digital tapes must be reviewed in case something was overlooked during the expeditions. Veteran members will recall that a small “smudge” found when reviewing sonar paper in 2006 turned out to be the Hennepin. So stay tuned as we “continue the search from the comfort of our offices.” During the 2014 search season, we were able to take along a new member, 18-year old, Trenton Zylstra who is interested marine archaeology and sonar technology. MSRA offers “a day on the search boat” as a thank-you gift for members who join at the $500 level or higher.

MSRA also began preparations to be able to obtain a sonar that would allow the team to work independently beyond the 10

days typically allocated by David Trotter each year. Jack Van Heest spent considerable time trying to make operational an older sonar donated by RJ Peterson using parts from other sonars. Those efforts

did not result in a working unit. MSRA technical diver Todd White also donated a sonar unit, but despite efforts, that unit could not be made operational. MSRA is beginning an effort to search for a new or slightly used sonar that would be capable of deep-water searches. We will evaluate the costs associated with that and the fundraising efforts required. In the meantime, we will look forward to the return of David Trotter in the spring of 2015 to continue the hunt for the Andaste and other lost ships in the southern region of Lake Michigan. w

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MSRA undertook a dive for the Historic Ottawa Beach Society

and Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Department at the site of the former Ottawa Beach Hotel on the north side of Lake Macatawa in Holland, now county property. The Hotel once graced the lakeshore near the current site of the Black Lake Boardwalk fishing cove. Changes to the shoreline since the fire that burned the hotel in 1923 have resulted in much of the former grounds and hotel foundation being underwater now. MSRA was asked to search for any artifacts that could be displayed in the future Pump House Museum and Learning Center that will be housed in the former electric generating station (later a water pump house). The dive resulted in the discovery of several small artifacts, including a sink faucet, portion of a plate, and a number of smaller items yet to be identified. MSRA also began mapping the locations of the submerged footings, but the low visibility made further work too difficult. The team is discussing returning in the spring to continue recovery and documentation work. w

Dive at site of the former Ottawa Beach Hotel

Jack and Valerie van Heest garnered quite the audience during their dives at the site of the Ottawa Beach Hotel footings, when they located several small artifacts that probably date back to the time of the hotel fire.

When a 1916 Sandborn Fire Insurance Map of the hotel is overlaid on a current satellite image, it is evident that a portion of the hotel’s footprint is now underwater. .

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NEW MEMBERS MSRA has seven new diving members all under the age of 18! Exposure to the adventures and history uncovered by MSRA over the last many years, prompted Jack and Valerie van Heest’s daughters, Cella and Taya, along with five other Holland youths to become scuba certified during the summer of 2014. MSRA’s associate Tim Marr at Altek Sports and Scuba served as their instructor. The group did several classroom sessions at the shop in Zeeland, pool sessions at the West Ottawa Harbor Lights middle school pool and check-out dives at Gull Lake near Kalamazoo. Several of the newly certified divers joined the Van Heests in the Manitou Islands to dive three shipwrecks there—the Three Brothers, Walter Frost, and Francisco Morazan. The Morazan was the subject of an article written by Valerie van Heest that appeared in the November 2014 issue of Wreck Diver Magazine with p h o t o g r a p h s taken of the kids diving that wreck. An excerpt of that article is reprinted here on page 9. w

Tim Marr, instructor/owner of Altek Sports and Scuba (upper left) oversees his students fill-ing in their logbooks after their first open wa-ter check out dives. Cella van Heest and Greta Davis are among several kids who made their first shipwreck dives on the wreck of the Walter B. Frost.

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Valerie van Heest from the exhibit design firm Lafferty van Heest

& Associates, a partner of Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates, curated and designed two exhibits for the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven: “Mysteries Beneath the Waves: Wrecks of the Sunset Coast,” and a companion exhibit, “Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501.” MSRA served as a partner in the exhibit, working during the latter half of 2013 and well into 2014 contributing research, historic images, underwater footage, diving gear, artifacts, and installation assistance. “Mysteries Beneath the Waves” explores the history of and role of diving in the discovery and documentation of Great Lakes shipwrecks. The exhibit examines five major reasons that ships have been lost on Lake Michigan using shipwrecks found by MSRA as examples, including, the SS Michigan, Ann Arbor No. 5, H.C. Akeley, Joseph P. Farnan, and Hennepin. The exhibit also looks at the many mysterious disappearances yet to be solved, like the loss of the Andaste, Chicora, Griffon, and SeaMar III. Hundreds of ships that grounded near shore are charted in the exhibit and several of those wrecks are featured including the City of Green Bay, St. Lawrence, and Francisco Morazan, all surveyed by MSRA. Brought out of storage in Lansing, artifacts from the Rockaway, subject of archaeological investigation by the Michigan Maritime Museum in the 1980s, are once again on display. The loss of the pleasure yacht Verano is also featured. That wreck was surveyed by MSRA members at the time they were involved in forming the South West Michigan Underwater Preserve. The exhibit “Fatal Crossing” is based on Van Heest’s book by the same name and brings her book to life. Music from 1950 and newsreel footage of the 1950 recovery effort set the time period for this exhibit. A wall-sized painting of the flight moments before its loss by Muskegon artist Brian Snuffer, dominates

MSRA Partners in New Exhibit

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the room. Artifacts found floating days after the accident, on display for the first time, remind viewers of the grim reality of this accident in which 58 people perished. Seeing the shredded suit jacket worn by victim Meryl Barton along with his checkbook, still legible after more than two days in lake water, and other personal effects make the exhibit heartrending. Many a visitor has been brought to tears by this exhibit, a sign that the display touches the heart as well as the mind. MSRA also helped and participated in developing a lecture series during the course of the exhibit, including a commemoration of the 64th anniversary of the plane crash. If you did not get a chance to tour the exhibit in 2014, please make plans to do so in 2015. The museum reported that 2014 saw the biggest attendance ever and wishes to thank MSRA for helping to make that possible. w

Exhibit (Con’t)

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Mysteries & Histories 2015

The date and programs has been set for MSRA’s annual fundraising film

festival on March 21, 1915. Please mark your calendar. For the past 16 years, this event has generated the necessary funding to conduct the annual search expedition and document and interpret shipwrecks. The Lakes oldest and most hotly debated shipwreck, Le Griffon, will be the feature of the event. Much has been seen in the media over the last many years surrounding one particular claim of discovery, which has never been proven. An article in the latest issue of Wreck Diver Magazine suggests that we will soon be hearing about another discovery claim. Be sure not to miss this program where those two claims and many others will be analysed and put into historical perspective by authors and maritime historians Cris Kohl and Joan Forsberg who are returning to present for their third time in Holland. Like last year, tickets are now be handled by Eventbrite for the easiest and most convenient purchasing arrangement, which will reduce lines at the door. w

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Malaysia MH370 spotlights Northwest Flight 2501

On March 8, 2014, the disappearance of Malaysia MH370 was announced

by the media. Many reporters noted that an airplane has never disappeared so completely before. One Milwaukee reporter, familiar with the disappearance of Flight 2501 after reading Valerie van Heest’s book Fatal Crossing, wrote an article expressing that indeed, something like that had happened: 64 years ago right here in Lake Michigan. Soon, newscasters around the country picked up on the story of Flight 2501. Valerie appeared on CNN, Al Jazeera America, and more than a dozen local news broadcasts along with several of the family members of Flight 2501 victims who are still disturbed that neither the airline or the government could offer answers. Although initially the authorities could not explain the loss of Flight 2501, debris was eventually discovered which

indicated the plane had, in fact, crashed into Lake Michigan. That is not the case with the Malaysia flight. Indications suggest the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean, but there is no proof, making the development of a search area quite difficult. It is interesting to compare the two search efforts. The search for Flight 2501 was halted after just five days, while the search for MH370 continues nine months after the disappearance. An unrelated and unofficial entity (the NUMA/MSRA team) picked up the search for Flight 2501 54 years after the disapperance, narrowed down the search area, using records of a last known position and locations of debris, to about 700 square miles in water ranging no deeper than 350 feet deep, no farther offshore than 25 miles. Over ten years, working about 30 days a year, the team searched a little more than 500 square miles and yet the wreck remains elusive. According to the media, development of a search area for MH370 was complicated because of limited and possibly inaccurate information of a last known position and the complete absence of debris. The search area could only be narrowed down to about 32,000 square miles (consider that Lake Michigan is 22,000 square miles), in waters ranging as deep as 13,000 feet, some 1000 miles off the nearest coast. Despite the advancements in technology over the last 64 years, is it any wonder that MH370 has not yet been found? Our hearts go out to the families of the 239 victims of the recent disappearance as it still does to the families of the 58 victims of Flight 2501. Neither the Lake nor the ocean has revealed its secrets. We can only hope that in time wreckage of the two planes will be found and answers can be forthcoming. w

Flight 2501 on Travel ChannelValerie van Heest appeared on an episode of the series Mysteries at the Museum discussing the loss of Flight 2501, which can regularly be seen in reruns. Unfortunately, the producer blamed the accident on supernatural causes, perpetuating the myth of a “Lake Michigan Triangle.” Beware: reality programs are not always real! w

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Excerpt from an article by Valerie van Heest in issue 34 of Wreck Diver Magazine. Pick up a copy for the full story.

The wreck of the Francisco Morazan—the only shipwreck visible above

the surface of Lake Michigan—warns mariners today of the presence of the shallow waters that surround South Manitou Island, located sixteen miles offshore of Glen Arbor, Michigan where the Sleeping Bear Dunes are located. Fifty four years ago, the young captain of the Morazan, pushing a schedule to beat the closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway and dealing with a decrepit old ship, hit bottom there during a snowstorm. That event ended the remarkable 38-year career of the 234-foot-long steel steamship—a career that included eight different name changes, service for the Germans during World War II, confiscation by the English after the war, and operation under registry in six different countries. Built in 1922 as the Arcadia for the Hamburg America Line, the largest

German transatlantic shipping enterprise at the time, the vessel was propelled by two steam turbines, driven by a single screw propeller, and could steam at about ten knots. After a dozen years the Arcadia was sold in 1934 to a coal importer in East Prussia, and renamed Elbing. A new, four-cylinder compound steam engine was installed the next year, which increased its speed slightly. In 1940, the Elbing was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine. In March 1941, the ship was shelled by the HMS Tartar during Operation Claymore, a British raid in Norway designed to destroy the industries supplying the Nazis. The Germans repaired it, but it was again shelled by enemy artillery in the River Elbe in Germany during the latter stages of the War, and consequently beached there. In May 1945, after the German surrender, England seized the vessel, renamed it the Empire Congress, and

placed it under the management of Chine Trading Co Ltd. The following year, England gave it to the Norwegian government as part of war reparations and It was put it under the management

Lake Michigan’s Most Visible and Visited Shipwreck

MSRA Documents 1940 Armistice Day Storm Wrecks

With the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Armistice Day storm around

the corner, the MSRA team focused 2014 documentation efforts on the three freighters lost off Pentwater during that record-setting storm. This work was done in collaboration with the Mason County Historical Society for an exhibit being developed for the new Port of Ludington Maritime Museum slated to open in 2016. That exhibit, along with the balance of the museum, is being designed by Lafferty van Heest and Associates. Two of the wrecks, the freighters Novadoc and the Anna Minch, are in shallow water and are regularly visited by divers, but have never been fully documented. The Willian B. Davock, found by wreck hunter John Steele in 1972, has rarely been dived. His reports that the freighter is up-side down in deep water did not offer enough exploration opportunity to entice divers to risk the deep dive. Consequently, the cause of the sinking, much debated over the last three quarters of a century, has never

been determined. During the winter months, MSRA will be further researching the ships lost in the storm and working with artist Robert Doornbos to develop site plans of the wrecks to be used in the future exhibit as well as a program that will debut at MSRA’s annual program On March 21st wThe Novadoc during the storm (right) and 74 years later in 20 feet of water.

Page 10Page 11of a Norwegian transportation company, and renamed Brunes. In 1947, it was sold to another Norwegian shipper, and renamed Skuld, then a year later, renamed Ringas. In 1952, the vessel made its first trip into the Great Lakes delivering a cargo of china clay to Muskegon, Michigan. It returned the next year to Port Huron, Michigan, delivering pulpwood. In 1958, the Ringas was sold to a Greek shipper, renamed Los Mayos, and registered in Panama. The steamship returned to the Great Lakes in 1958 but ran aground at Muskegon. After being patched with cement, it was refloated to sail again. In 1959, in the midst of a world-wide financial crisis, the ship changed hands again, but the identity of the new owner was unclear, perhaps purposely to avoid taxes and liability. Apparently, a Chris T. Trapezountios, doing business as the West Indies Transport Company of New York and Monrovia, purchased the aged and rusting ship at a bargain price and registered it as a Liberian package freighter. He chartered it to Interamerican Marine Operators, of New York under the name Francisco Morazan. On October 21, 1960, 24-year-old Captain Eduardo Trivrazara, a recent graduate of the Maritime Academy of Athens, who had been given his first command on the Francisco Morazan six months previously, took on board a cargo of phosphates in Tampa Florida. He set out for Montreal and Toronto bringing along his twenty-nine-year-old pregnant wife, Anastasia, to serve as his assistant. Twelve crewmembers served under him. After passing through the St. Lawrence Seaway, opened just the year prior, and making the Canadian delivery, the freighter sailed to Chicago, arriving there in unseasonably warm weather just before Thanksgiving. The vessel took on board over 1000 tons of mixed cargo destined for Europe. The Francisco Morazan departed Chicago on the morning of Monday November 28 under pressure from the impending close of the Seaway at midnight on November 30. It seemed that at the full speed, the Morazan could never expect to reach the locks, 1250 miles distant, on time. As the freighter sailed north, the temperature plummeted. Fog slowed its progress, and then a problem with the boiler feed pump required that the ship be stopped while the engineer worked on the pump. Facing a five-month layup in the Great Lakes, lost revenues, and dockage fee, Trivrazara would have been concerned and undoubtedly radioed his superiors for a directive. What orders he was given or what decisions he made can never be known, but he proceeded north late that night after the pump had been repaired. As Monday turned to Tuesday, the Morazan encountered a snowstorm, which greatly reduced visibility. Trivrazara pushed on, heading for the narrow passage between the Manitou Islands and the mainland near Sleeping Bear Point, the shortest and most obstacle-laden path to the Straights of Mackinac toward Lake Huron. At 6.30 p.m., he and the crew heard a terrible noise like metal scraping metal, and the Morazan suddenly ground to a halt. Resting in her cabin at the time, Anastasia Trivrazara heard the noise and ran out into the corridor where she saw crewmembers rushing around and donning life jackets. Worried the freighter would soon sink, she dashed off to the pilothouse to find her husband. Through gaps in the snow, Anastasia saw a small island just

Page 10 Page 11Page 11a few hundred yards in front of the ship. Although she and the others did not realize it then, the ship had plowed right over the submerged remains of another vessel, the Walter L. Frost, a package freighter nearly the same size as the Morazan, that had hit bottom there in 1903. Did limited visibility lead to the Morazan’s grounding or did Captain Trivrazara choose to run aground as a solution to his schedule problem? That question would be a source of discussion for years to come. Although he knew his ship was taking on water through a hole in its lower hull, Trivrazara assured everyone that they were in no immediate danger. He radioed the Coast Guard his condition. “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is the Liberian freighter Francisco Morazan. We have grounded in shallow water near South Manitou Island.” The district Coast Guard headquarters dispatched the cutter Mesquite from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and the cutter Sundew from Charlevoix, Michigan, to aid the stranded vessel. In addition, the crew of a 36-foot lifeboat from Frankfort, Michigan, answered the ship’s first call for help. Aircraft from the Coast Guard air station at Traverse City attempted to reach the scene twice, but 35-knot winds, severe icing conditions, and a six-foot swell forced them to give up. District Coast Guard officials called on the powerful icebreaker Mackinaw to pull the 2000-ton Morazan off the rocky shore, but a Coast Guard spokesman said they would not take the crew off unless it appeared the vessel would break up or capsize. On Wednesday, November 30, three representatives of the ship’s insurance company were flown out to the ship. They were unsure whether the Francisco Morazan could be salvaged, but they felt confident that the cargo could be recovered. The next day, as the lake calmed a bit, Trivrazara arranged for his wife, who had become ill because of the constant motion from the pounding surf, to be taken off the vessel. A boarding party from the Mackinaw had stayed behind after Anastasia Trivrazara had been taken off the wreck.

They examined the ship and found several holds flooded from a 10-foot hole, but they did not believe the crew was in jeopardy. However, rising southwest winds and waves over Friday and Saturday made any attempts at salvage impossible. Meanwhile, authorities had to consider the possibility that the crew, consisting of Greeks, Spaniards, Cubans, and Hondurans, would have to be taken off the stranded ship soon. The immigration department determined that six members of the crew would face deportation if they set foot on American soil. As feared, winds increased, and on Sunday, December 4, the Coast Guard was forced to pluck the captain, crew, and the three insurance officials from the Morazan and transfer them to the Mackinaw. After negotiations, Trivrazara, acting as agent for the ship’s owners, assumed responsibility for delivery of the six non-cleared seamen to New York and then back to their countries. Roan Salvage of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was hired to try to dislodge the vessel, but buffeting by a storm made that impossible. Fearing attempts to pillage the ship, agents for the vessel asked for law enforcement help. The Leelanau County sheriff’s department arranged for Ed Riker, a permanent resident of the island, to watch over the vessel and its cargo. On January 3, just one month after the crew left the Morazan, Riker spotted a small boat and saw two men on board the wreck. He contacted the sheriff who was able to follow the boat to shore and question the men.

In January 1961, the insurance company, having given up trying to repair and refloat the ship, awarded a contract to Lake Michigan Hardwood Company to salvage the cargo from the Morazan. The company planned to transfer the cargo to another ship for delivery to Leland, then by truck to Chicago. By late-March, the salvors had recovered all the cargo that was accessible, but the fate of the ship, which some estimated had weathered the winter well, remained uncertain. During the summer of 1961, people flocked to the island to see the massive ship aground. There were so many, in fact, that police could not even attempt to keep tourists off the wreck. In time, all the loose or moveable parts were stripped off. Over the years, the islanders salvaged the remaining cargo for their own use. For years, they ate Blue Star chicken, washed their hair with Suave shampoo, and played with balsawood model aircraft kits, all items of the cargo. Tragically, in August 1967, 18-year-old islander, Ronnie Riker, drowned while exploring the wreck. His death, reports of rotting cargo, and the potential of fuel leakage, prompted Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelly to file a lawsuit in August 1968 to force the owners to remove the wreck. The day after he filed, a fire mysteriously broke out on the wreck, which consumed all but the steel superstructure. The authorities suspected vandals but never apprehended anyone. Because the fire did not ignite the fuel oil, the court persisted in its demand that

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MSRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Valerie Olson van HeestGeoffrey Reynolds

Craig RichJack van Heest

The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, is a Michigan 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to preserve and interpret Michigan’s submerged maritime history. To that end, the organization’s work includes research, exploration, documentation, and the creation of educational programming regarding historic shipwrecks within Michigan waters, with an initial emphasis on the southeastern quarter of Lake Michigan. MSRA works in cooperation with state agencies. As a Holland-based volunteer-driven organization, MSRA relies on memberships, fund raising events, donations, and grants to continue its work. w

Thank You for Your Support

MSRA is funded in part by an annual grant from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, a Wisconsin 501c3

and from a sponsoring grant from the Gertz Foundation.

the wreck be removed. However, the owners never took action, obviously to avoid paying the massive salvage fees. Today the Francisco Morazan, which had a turbulent career and suffered a controversial loss, is owned by the State of Michigan and is one of many shipwrecks in the Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve. Over the ensuing five decades since its grounding and the fire, the Francisco Morazan has decayed considerably from the action of the waves and ice. It has become the home of double-crested cormorants and seagulls that roost upon it, and the uric acid in bird droppings further corrodes the metal surfaces. In fact, the section between the engine room and bow has broken apart and lies in pieces below the surface. At the time of this publication, only about half of the vessel remains visible above the surface, but still draws boaters, snorkelers, and divers who enjoying exploring the remains from various viewpoints. The water is this region is clear, and visibility is typically excellent. The wreck is very photogenic, both above and below water, and light refracting through the water and twisted hulk can be beautiful. The massive engine and boilers can easily be examined and are impressive when seen from the perspective of the engine room floor. w

Most Visible Shipwreck (Con’t)Public Programs

Craig Rich, Valerie and Jack van Heest, represetned MSRA when presenting at the annual Ghost Ship Festival in Milwaukee in 2014.

Each year, the board of directors represents MSRA at annual maritime conventions in the Midwest, including Ghost ships in MIlwaukee, Our World Underwater in Chicago, Shipwrecks and Technology in Muskegon and the Shipwreck Festival in Ann Arbor. This year was no exception. In addition, MSRA spokesmen and author Craig Rich and Valerie van Heest travelled throughout Michigan delivering programs to libraries, historical societies, and school groups, sharing Michigan’s rich maritime history.

Valerie van Heest made several presentations to school groups in 2014.

Craig Rich presented at the Gales of November program in Charlevoix, Michigan at the library’s annual program.