Twenty years before the Titanic changed maritime history, another ship touted as the next great technological feat set sail on the Great Lakes.

Explorers have discovered the wreckage of a cargo ship which capsized in Lake Superior more than 130 years ago. The Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar made the discovery possible.

The Western Reserve, a 300-foot steel steamer, broke in two as it wrecked in 1892 about 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior. When the wreckage was found, the bow section had rested on top of the stern in nearly 600 feet of water.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) has discovered the final resting spot for the "Western Reserve," 132 years after the ship sank in Lake Superior, killing 27 people. According to the GLSHS,

In 2024, the SS Western Reserve was found in Lake Superior broken in half with the bow section resting on the stern at a roughly 45-degree angle.

The wreckage of an all-steel ship that set sails over 100 years ago was discovered off the coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Underwater video shows the two halves of the steamer sitting atop one another, which is unusual for a shipwreck. The sole survivor swam two hours to the shore.