- The freighter Michipicoten started taking on water on June 8, 2024 after sustaining a 13-foot crack in its hull while traversing Lake Superior
- It’s been 50 years since a freighter sank in the Great Lakes
- Watch a video from Great Lakes Now about the Michipicoten’s close call
It’s been 50 years since a freighter sank in the Great Lakes. But in the summer of 2024, one freighter came dangerously close.
On June 8, 2024, the Michipicoten was carrying a load of iron ore across Lake Superior when the crew heard a loud bang. The ship was taking on water.
This type of emergency is uncommon on the Great Lakes — but the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald proves that tragedies can happen.
Kent Knechtel was the Michipicoten’s second engineer, whose life was changed by his experience that day.
“After we got to Thunder Bay I was mentally I was stable I was fine, and then I started having nightmares of the boat rolling over and I’m hanging off the side of it,” Knechtel said. “I called my son the one night and I was talking to him before I went to bed, and that night I had a dream that he was on the deck and I had to reach down and grab him before he went in the water and that’s when I said that’s it.”
Kent chose to retire early, and he’s vowed never to sail the Great Lakes again. He says he often thinks about that June morning, when Lake Superior was so calm. What if it hadn’t been?
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The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work HERE.
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