Detroit Historical Society curator discusses Revolutionary War-era cannon pulled from the Detroit River in 2011

Here is an interview I did with Joel Stone, curator of the Detroit Historical Society at the 31^st Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival  regarding discovery of a pre-Revolutionary War cannon found in the Detroit River last summer.

Members of the Detroit Police Department dive team discovered the cannon about 200 feet from Cobo Center in downtown Detroit during a training session in July. It’s the fifth cannon found in the area in three decades. After a couple of failed attempts, the cannon was finally brought to the surface on Oct. 5 by the Detroit Police Underwater Recovery Team.

Stone said the cannon is 5.5 feet in length, with a 3.38-inch bore, molded of solid iron and weighs 1,288 pounds. It carries the crest of King George III.

The cannon is believed to have landed in the river in 1796, but how it got there remains a mystery. It is Stone’s opinion that the cannon was dumped there, since it had outlived its usefulness. He believes the cannon was “blown out,” and since it couldn’t be reforged, it no longer had value.  And dumping it in the river would keep it out of the hands of the Americans.

My next video will feature Sgt. Dean Rademaker, the officer who discovered the cannon.

Shipwreck Festival was a great experience

I had a GREAT time at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival on Saturday. It was enjoyable from both a personal and professional standpoint. I met some great people and it was an educational experience as well.
I will be producing several video clips of people that I interviewed at the festival. Look for the first clip on Wednesday. Some of the topics will include: A cannon found in the Detroit River; newly discovered shipwrecks off Sleeping Bear Point; Sharks of the Great Lakes; Caribou Hunters beneath Lake Huron; a chat with the captain of the William Clay Ford, the first responder to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald; a retired teaching couple who have turned into video producers and produced a piece on a Tuskegee airman who crashed into the St. Clair River; the ancient shores of the Great Lakes and more. So stay tuned.

31th annual Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival set for Saturday, Feb. 25

The 31th annual Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival will take place this weekend, Feb. 25 at Washtenaw Community College.
I will be at the festival, enjoying some of the presentations and hopefully, if all goes to plan, feature several video interviews on this blog starting next Wednesday, Feb. 29.
Here is some information about the festival, courtesy of the festival website.

The Ford Seahorse Scuba Diving Club, in conjunction with the Detroit Historical Society’s Dossin Maritime Group and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum will present the 31st Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival at Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The programs run from 9am–5pm, featuring a wide variety of sessions on Great Lakes shipwrecks, exotic dive locations from around the world and education/technical sessions. In the Exhibit area, there will be book signings, exhibits from local maritime artists, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, dive equipment manufacturers, diver charter operations and dive travel agencies. A number of local dive shops will be represented as well as underwater marine sanctuaries, and local quarries.
Shipwrecks are always the theme of this event and this year is no exception. The Festival has three venues, including presentations on Great Lakes shipwrecks, exotic saltwater destinations and Educational/Technical topics.