Phase
I: Discovery and Identification
Chicago Field
Museum
The first phase of
Great Lakes Exploration’s
quest for the Griffon has
been partly accomplished with the
discovery of a promising wreck in
northern Lake Michigan. Great Lakes
and its team are presently pressing
for legal rights and permits to
continue the Discovery Phase. Libert
believes the next step should be
an archaeological test excavation.
The goal, to make a positive identification
of the vessel.
Dr. Scott Demel believes
Phase I could take anywhere from
one month to two years. “If
the vessel is intact, the process
of identifying the vessel will be quicker.
If the wreckage is scattered on
the bottom floor of the lake, then
the excavation could easily take
more time”, says Dr. Demel.
Phase II:
Recovery and Preservation
The actual recovery and preservation of the ship will depend on its condition. Whether the ship is recovered or explored in situ will depend on the factors affecting the nature of the shipwreck and the shipwreck site. Great Lakes and the Field Museum will do whatever is necessary to protect the scientific, historic and archaeological values of the shipwreck.
Artifacts will need to be uncovered, mapped, photographed and extracted. And, if there is enough of the ship to lift, the ship will have to be transported on a barge to a facility where it can be studied in a controlled environment.
If the vessel proves to be the Griffon, it is a sovereign vessel. France would have a strong claim to the wreck. Libert hopes that France will cooperate with Great Lakes in continuing the excavation and protection of the wreck. There is a precedent. When the Texas Historical Commission discovered another of La Salle’s ships, the La Belle, which sank in 1686 off the coast of Texas, France gave Texas a 100-year lease and the loan of certain artifacts. |
