SS Norisle was a Canadian steam-powered automobile ferry that operated between Tobermory and South-Baymouth Manitoulin Island alongside her sister ships, the MS Norgoma and the MS Normac , owned by the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited .
38-599: The name Norisle is derived from "Nor", a contraction of the Northern Region of Lake Huron , and "Isle", referring to Manitoulin Island . Norisle no longer operates as a museum. This is mainly due to the ship's age which had raised safety concerns. According to locals in the area the museum was closed in 2008, and taken to Port Colborne, Ontario for scrapping in Fall, 2023. The ship is 215 ft in length. Norisle
76-477: A 2013 underwater discovery along the ridge. On the eve of European contact, the extent of development among Eastern Woodlands Native American societies is indicated by the archaeological evidence of a town on or near Lake Huron that contained more than one hundred large structures housing a total population of between 4,000 and 6,000. The French, the first European visitors to the region, often referred to Lake Huron as La Mer Douce, "the fresh-water sea". In 1656,
114-773: A dive site, however these plans have been halted because a support group for Norisle was formed in March 2007, "Friends of the Norisle." The group planned to investigate refurbishing or using the ship for beneficial purposes. Efforts failed and the ship was towed to Marine Recycling Corporation in Port Colborne, Ontario in 2023 for scrapping. Scrapping was completed in 2024. 45°44′34″N 81°48′15″W / 45.742854°N 81.804277°W / 45.742854; -81.804277 Lake Huron Lake Huron ( / ˈ h jʊər ɒ n , - ən / HURE -on, -ən )
152-982: A fierce storm after leaving, Le Griffon ran aground before the storm. The people of Manitoulin Island say that the wreck in Mississagi Strait at the western tip of the island is that of Le Griffon . Meanwhile, others near Tobermory , say that the wreck on Russell Island , 150 miles (240 km) farther east in Georgian Bay, is that of Le Griffon . On November 9, 1913, the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 in Lake Huron sank 10 ships, and more than 20 were driven ashore. The storm, which raged for 16 hours, killed 235 seamen. Matoa—a propeller freighter measuring 2,311 gross register tons —had passed between Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario, just after midnight. On November 9, just after six in
190-532: A map by French cartographer Nicolas Sanson refers to the lake by the name Karegnondi , a Wyandot word that has been translated variously, as "Freshwater Sea", "Lake of the Hurons", or simply "lake". Generally, the lake was labeled "Lac des Hurons" (Lake of the Huron) on most early European maps. By the 1860s, many European settlements on the shores of Lake Huron were becoming incorporated , including Sarnia,
228-429: A museum ship for tourists to explore. For the last few years it had also served as a training ground for Canadian Naval Cadets. In recent years, Norisle fell into a state of disrepair. The ship was slowly sinking due to rainwater entering through her engine room vents and the main smokestack. This issue was stopped by placing tarps over the ingress points. City leaders planned on having it towed to deep water and sunk as
266-435: A profound food web change that took place in 2003. Lake trout have also been stocked for decades in an attempt to rehabilitate the species and today are largely self sustaining, especially in the northern half of the lake. Lake Huron has suffered recently by the introduction of a variety of new invasive species, including zebra and quagga mussels , the spiny water flea , and round gobies . The demersal fish community of
304-659: A result of the almost complete disappearance of the invasive Alewife in the lake). These native species include Lake Trout and Walleye . The Walleye population in Saginaw Bay area of Lake Huron reached recovery targets in 2009. Michigan Ontario List of lakes by area This is a pair of lists of terrestrial lakes with a surface area of more than approximately 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi), ranked by area , excluding reservoirs and lagoons . The area of some lakes can vary considerably over time, either seasonally or from year to year. This
342-441: Is 1.00 foot (30 cm) below datum ( 577.5 ft or 176.0 m ). In the winter of 1964, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their lowest level at 1.38 feet (42 cm) below datum. As with the high-water records, monthly low-water records were set each month from February 1964 through January 1965. During this twelve-month period, water levels ranged from 1.38 to 0.71 feet (42–22 cm) below Chart Datum. The all-time low-water mark
380-1198: Is centered on an oceanic basin (a fragment of the ancient Tethys Ocean ) rather than lying entirely over continental crust as all other lakes do. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are conventionally counted as separate lakes, but hydrologically they are a single body of water, which is the world's largest lake by surface area. Following are conventionally identified lakes larger than 3,000 km (1,200 sq mi) in area. 6,650 km 2,570 sq mi 245 km 152 mi 219 m 719 ft 113 km 27 cu mi [REDACTED] 5,542 km 2,140 sq mi 113 km 70 mi 132 m 433 ft 130 km 31 cu mi [REDACTED] 17.2 km 4.1 cu mi 108 km 26 cu mi 91 km 22 cu mi [REDACTED] Russia 20 km 4.8 cu mi 28.7 km 6.9 cu mi 25.6 km 6.1 cu mi 74 km 18 cu mi 140 km 87 mi 256 m 840 ft 313 km 75 cu mi 12 km 2.9 cu mi Source for
418-463: Is divided in two: all lakes as conventionally defined down to 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi), and the largest lakes under a geological definition, where the Caspian Sea is considered a small ocean rather than a lake, and Lake Michigan–Huron (or "Huron–Michigan") is recognized as a single body of water. The Caspian Sea is conventionally considered the world's largest lake, but it
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#1732797872395456-428: Is especially true of salt lakes in arid climates. This list therefore excludes seasonal lakes such as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre (maximum area 9,500 km , 3,700 sq mi), Mar Chiquita Lake (Córdoba) (maximum area 6,000 km , 2,300 sq mi), Lake Torrens (maximum area 5,745 km , 2,218 sq mi) and Great Salt Lake (maximum area, 1988, 8,500 km , 3,300 sq mi). The list
494-449: Is located in the southwest corner of the lake. The main inlet is the St. Marys River from Lake Superior , and the main outlet is through the St. Clair River toward Lake Erie . Lake Huron has a fairly large drainage basin covering parts of Michigan and Ontario. Water flows through Lake Huron faster than the other Great Lakes with a retention time of only 22 years. By surface area, Lake Huron
532-485: Is one of the five Great Lakes of North America . It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan . The name of the lake is derived from early French explorers who named it for the indigenous people they knew as Huron (Wyandot) inhabiting the region. Hydrologically , Lake Huron comprises the eastern portion of Lake Michigan–Huron , having
570-585: Is the second-largest of the Great Lakes, with a surface area of 23,007 square miles (59,590 km )—of which 9,103 square miles (23,580 km ) lies in Michigan and 13,904 square miles (36,010 km ) lies in Ontario—making it the third-largest fresh water lake on Earth (or the fourth-largest lake, if the Caspian Sea is counted as a lake). By volume however, Lake Huron is only the third largest of
608-656: Is the world's largest lake island . A smaller bay that protrudes southwest from Lake Huron into Michigan is called Saginaw Bay . Cities with over 10,000 people on Lake Huron include Sarnia , the largest city on Lake Huron, and Saugeen Shores in Canada and Bay City , Port Huron , and Alpena in the United States. Major centres on Georgian Bay include Owen Sound , Wasaga Beach , Collingwood , Midland , Penetanguishene , Port Severn and Parry Sound . Historic high water The lake fluctuates from month to month with
646-529: The Detroit River and Detroit , Michigan; into Lake Erie and thence – via Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River – to the Atlantic Ocean. Like the other Great Lakes, it was formed by melting ice as the continental glaciers retreated toward the end of the last ice age . Before this, Lake Huron was a low-lying depression through which flowed the now-buried Laurentian and Huronian Rivers;
684-488: The Alpena-Amberley Ridge was exposed. That land bridge was used as a migration route for large herds of caribou . Since 2008, archaeologists have discovered at least 60 stone constructions along the submerged ridge that are thought to have been used as hunting blinds by Paleo-Indians . That a trade network brought obsidian from Oregon almost ten thousand years ago to be used for toolmaking was confirmed by
722-405: The Great Lakes, being surpassed by Lake Michigan and Lake Superior . When measured at the low water datum, the lake contains a volume of 850 cubic miles (3,500 km ) and a shoreline length (including islands) of 3,827 mi (6,159 km). The surface of Lake Huron is 577 feet (176 m) above sea level . The lake's average depth is 32 fathoms 3 feet (195 ft; 59 m), while
760-596: The Straits of Mackinac, La Salle made landfall on Washington Island , off the tip of the Door Peninsula on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan. La Salle filled Le Griffon with pelts and in late November 1679 sent Le Griffon back to the site of modern-day Buffalo, never to be seen again. Two wrecks have been identified as Le Griffon , although neither has gained final verification as the actual wreck. Blown by
798-483: The highest lake levels in October and November. The normal high-water mark is 2.00 feet (0.61 m) above datum ( 577.5 ft or 176.0 m ). In the summer of 1986, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their highest level at 5.92 feet (1.80 m) above datum. The high-water records were broken for several months in a row in 2020. Historic low water Lake levels tend to be the lowest in winter. The normal low-water mark
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#1732797872395836-400: The hull. To keep from being pushed aground, they kept their bow into the wind with the engines running half to full in turns, yet the ship still drifted 800 feet (240 m) before its movement was arrested. Waves breaking over the ship damaged several windows, and the crew reported seeing portions of the concrete break wall peeling off as the waves struck it. Meanwhile, fifty miles farther up
874-434: The lake bed was criss-crossed by a large network of tributaries to these ancient waterways, with many of the old channels still evident on bathymetric maps. The Alpena-Amberley Ridge is an ancient ridge beneath the surface of Lake Huron, running from Alpena, Michigan , southwest to Point Clark , Ontario. About 9,000 years ago, when water levels in Lake Huron were approximately 100 m (330 ft) below today's levels,
912-437: The lake by the 1930s. The major native top predator, lake trout, was virtually extirpated from the lake by 1950 through a combination of overfishing and the effects of sea lamprey. Several species of ciscos were also extirpated from the lake by the 1960s; the only remaining native ciscoes are bloater and Cisco (lake herring). Non-native Pacific salmon have been stocked in the lake since the 1960s, but are less abundant since
950-432: The lake was in a state of collapse by 2006, and a number of drastic changes have been observed in the zooplankton community of the lake. Chinook salmon catches have also been greatly reduced in recent years, and lake whitefish have become less abundant and are in poor condition. These recent changes may be attributable to the new exotic species. Some native species, however were beneficiaries of these chances (principally
988-662: The lake, Matoa and Captain Hugh McLeod had to ride out the storm without a safe harbor. Matoa was found stranded on the Port Austin reef when the winds subsided. It was noon on Monday before the winds let up and not until 11:00 p.m. that night before Captain Light determined it to be safe to continue his journey. Although Manola survived the storm, she was renamed Mapledawn in 1920, and on November 24, 1924, she became stranded on Christian Island in Georgian Bay. It
1026-540: The largest city on Lake Huron. On October 26, 2010, the Karegnondi Water Authority was formed to build and manage a pipeline from the lake to Flint, Michigan . More than a thousand wrecks have been recorded in Lake Huron. Of these, 185 are located in Saginaw Bay, and 116 are found in the 448-square-mile (1,160 km ) Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve , which
1064-536: The maximum recorded (by sonar) depth is 125 fathoms (750 ft; 229 m). It has a length of 206 statute miles (332 km ; 179 nmi ) and a greatest breadth of 183 statute miles (295 km; 159 nmi). A large bay that protrudes northeast from Lake Huron into Ontario, Canada, is called Georgian Bay . A notable feature of the lake is Manitoulin Island , which separates the North Channel and Georgian Bay from Lake Huron's main body of water. It
1102-591: The morning, Senator pushed upstream. Less than an hour later, Manola —a propeller freighter of 2,325 gross register tons also built in Cleveland in 1890—passed through. Captain Frederick W. Light of Manola reported that both the Canadian and the American weather stations had storm flag signals flying from their weather towers. Following behind at 7:00 a.m. that Sunday, Regina steamed out of Sarnia into
1140-421: The northwest gale. The warnings had been up for four hours. Manola passed Regina off Port Sanilac, 22 statute miles (19 nmi; 35 km) up the lake. Captain Light determined that if it continued to deteriorate, he would seek shelter at Harbor Beach , Michigan, another 30 statute miles (26 nmi; 48 km) up the lake. There, he could seek shelter behind the breakwater. Before he reached Harbor Beach,
1178-471: The same lake'). Aggregated, Lake Huron-Michigan, at 45,300 square miles (117,000 km ), "is technically the world's largest freshwater lake". Lake Superior, at 21 feet higher elevation, drains into the St. Marys River which then flows into Lake Huron. The water then flows south to the St. Clair River, at Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario . The Great Lakes Waterway continues thence to Lake St. Clair ;
SS Norisle - Misplaced Pages Continue
1216-432: The same surface elevation as Lake Michigan , to which it is connected by the 5-mile-wide (8.0 km), 20-fathom-deep (120 ft; 37 m) Straits of Mackinac . Combined, Lake Michigan–Huron is the largest freshwater lake by area in the world. The Huronian glaciation was named from evidence collected from Lake Huron region. The northern parts of the lake include the North Channel and Georgian Bay . Saginaw Bay
1254-523: The vessel during her service as a ferry. She sailed until the year 1974, when she and her sister ship , Norgoma , were replaced by the much larger and more modern MS Chi-Cheemaun which could accommodate a much larger number of automobiles, and passengers (but no livestock). Norisle was purchased by the town of Assiginack in 1975 for $ 1, and was permanently berthed at the Assiginack Museum Complex on Manitoulin Island as
1292-443: The winds turned to the northeast and the lake began to rise. It was noon when he reached Harbor Beach and ran for shelter. The waves were so violent that Manola touched bottom entering the harbor. With help from a tugboat , Manola tied up to the break wall with eight lines. It was about 3:00 p.m. when Manola was secured and the crew prepared to drop anchor. As they worked, the cables began to snap from wind pressure against
1330-555: Was built at the Collingwood shipyards in 1946—the first steamship built in Canada after the end of World War II . Her engines were designed and built for a Royal Canadian Navy corvette, but because of the end of the war, they were installed in Norisle instead. They are now the only remaining engines of their type in existence today. The ship had two doors on the starboard with a ramp that allowed vehicles to drive on and off
1368-540: Was declared a total loss. Salvagers were able to recover approximately 75,000 bushels of barley. Lake Huron has a lake retention time of 22 years. Like all of the Great Lakes, the ecology of Lake Huron has undergone drastic changes in the last century. The lake originally supported a native deepwater fish community dominated by lake trout , which fed on several species of ciscos as well as sculpins and other native fishes. Several invasive species , including sea lamprey , alewife and rainbow smelt , became abundant in
1406-479: Was eclipsed in January 2013. Lake Huron has the largest shore line length of any of the Great Lakes, counting its 30,000 islands. It is separated from Lake Michigan, which lies at the same level, by the 5-mile-wide (8.0 km), 20-fathom-deep (120 ft; 37 m) Straits of Mackinac, making them hydrologically the same body of water (sometimes called Lake Michigan-Huron and sometimes described as two 'lobes of
1444-443: Was established in 2000. Georgian Bay contains 212 sunken vessels. Purportedly the first European vessel to sail the Great Lakes, Le Griffon also became the first ship lost on the Great Lakes. It was built in 1679 on the eastern shore of Lake Erie near Buffalo , New York . Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle navigated across Lake Erie, up the Detroit River , Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River out into Lake Huron. Passing
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