Conspiracy Theories Are Already Circulating at the Damaged Lake Superior Freighter Michipicoten

It may be that not since the Edmond Fitzgerald sinking that so much national attention has focused on the shipping channels of the Great Lakes. In early June 2024, the freighter Michipicoten reported having struck something in Lake Superior near Isle Royale and began taking on water.

The news broke over the weekend and within several hours, with the assistance of the US Coast Guards and other agencies, the boat was able to make it to the closest port, Thunder Bay in Ontario.

READ MORE: Bruh, You Can't Just Jet Ski to Isle Royale Like This Guy Tried to Do

Where this case takes a curious turn is questioning what the Michipicoten may have encountered on the big lake. News reports have not stated what caused the collision, which, of course, will fuel internet speculation.

At the beginning of the investigation, it is almost certainly that no one knows. More recently media reports state the Coast Guard is questioning whether there was a collision at all.

On the reddit forum dedicated to 'High Strangeness,' commenters because to circulate ideas on the hampered vessel.

Lots of coverage of this event - the Michipicoten freighter hit something underwater that did enough damage that the vessel took on water but safely made it to port. “High strangeness” because of none of the coverage specifies what the object was. What could it have hit 35 miles off shore, where the depth of the water is 1000 feet

Those familiar with Great Lakes shipping say the hulls are reinforced as they have to deal with ice as they may still encounter frozen water though the shipping lanes may be open for the season.

Some speculate adrift logs, long-ago shipwrecks or shipping containers. Although each of those theories get a pretty quick debunking. Others offer a little more wild suggestion of a submarine, though there is no acknowledged sub traffic within the lakes.

An incident from 2023 that may have slipped your memory was a shooting down of an unknown object over Lake Huron - this in the same time frame as the better remembered 'Chinese spy balloon.' Is the Michipicoten a victim of more Great Lakes strangeness?

Finally, some point to most mundane causes like a stress crack in the hull.

The video below shows the laker just a few weeks before the collision incident making a trip to Duluth under the lift bridge where viewing the freighter traffic appears to be a tourist attraction.