The Agustus Handy was discovered by Mark Gammage and Joe Van Wagen near Spectacle Reef in Lake Huron.
The Handy sank On May 7th 1861, less than a month after the Confederate Army fired on Fort Sumter on April 12th, 1861 signaling the start of the Civil War.
The 126 foot long wooden schooner was a sleek design with a cutwater bow and raked back stern. The measurements were critical so that the ship could fit in the Welland Canal and navigate from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. She was carrying 16,000 bushels of wheat from Chicago to Kingston Ontario when it got caught in a storm just after passing through the Straits of Mackinac and struck Spectacle Reef. The crew was saved but the ship sank in deep water.
The Handy is very intact for being 160 years old. There is still golden wheat in the cargo holds. The crows nest is still on the aft mast, windless and wood stock anchors are on the bow, deadeyes and a perfect wooden wheel on the stern.
Photogrammetry model shot by Becky Schott, it was over 2200 images.
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