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The William B. Davock

(Courtesy Photo | Michigan Shipwreck Research Association)

WEST MICHIGAN - A group of West Michigan-based shipwreck explorers have solved a mystery that has puzzled historians for more than 75 years.

It was during the Armistice Day storm of 1940 when the freighter, the William B. Davock, disappeared beneath the waves of Lake Michigan after being caught in 80-mile per hour winds and 30-foot waves.

Thirty-two years later, the 420-foot Davock was discovered in 200 feet of water just off the coast of Pentwater, but how it met its final demise could not be determined.

"Visibility in those days was pretty bad," said Valerie van Heest, a maritime historian and director of Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA), a nonprofit underwater archaeological organization. "All the divers could see and report was that the wreck in one piece and was upside down."

Recently, members of MSRA have revealed what they believe caused the vessel to sink after observing the wreck on a crystal-clear day in the fall of 2014. MSRA diver Jeff Vos, of Holland, was the man who captured the only known footage of the wreck.

His findings revealed the cause of the wreck occurred at the stern where the vessel's rudder is seen broken and one of the four blades of the propeller is snapped.

"The waves were so strong, they must have snapped the rudder's connection, at which point it swung so far over that it struck the propeller," Vos, who is also an engineer and avid boater said in a news release. "With no power or steering, the Davock would have been at the mercy of the storm."

The rudder of the William B. Davock

Craig Rich, MSRA board member, further explained what caused the ship's demise.

"It would have sent the ship into what we call a shivering mode," he said. "Without the rudder, it wouldn't have been able to steer and without the propeller working properly you can't drive it forward. The ship would have gone into the trough of the wave sideways which would have swamped the ship."

Rich was not part of the dive team that discovered the cause of the ship's sinking but was present the day it happened.

But why hasn't it been until now that the wreck has been further examined?

The answer to that is two-fold. According to van Heest, the fact that the wreck is so deep and upside down has detered divers from even trying. In the past, those that have even tried have encountered such bad visibility they could barely even find the wreck, much less film it. At the time of the MSRA crew's discovery, that wasn't the case.

Rich said Lake Michigan has become increasingly clear in recent years thanks in part to the presence of Zebra Mussels that, while invasive, have helped clean up some of the murk of the water. At times, there is visibility in water 80 to 100 feet deep, Hill said.

"We decided to give it a shot," Rich added. "The divers didn't even use a light for the discovery. It's not as warm as it is in the Caribbean, but it's certainly starting to rival it in clarity. It was a warm, sunny day. The ambient light was amazing."

MSRA plans to present the entire story of the Davock, as well as those of the several other ships lost during the Armistice Day storm, at its annual show. The event, titled "Mysteries and Histories beneath the Inland Seas" is scheduled to take place at the Knickerbocker Theater in Holland at 7 p.m. on March 21.

For the members of MSRA, the thrill of discovering and solving mysteries surrounding sunken vessels on the Great Lakes is what continues to motivate them. And for the families of the men and women lost at sea, the significance of those revelations cannot be understated.

Arnold Johnson is the son of one of the crewmen aboard the Davock. His father's body was never recovered. Johnson was waiting for the divers at the dock in Pentwater following their discovery, according to Rich. He was the first person to see video of the wreck that took his father's life.

"My dad is still down there," Johnson reacted, according to a news release. "This shipwreck is his grave."

At least now, the cause of his passing is no longer a mystery.

Brandon Champion covers arts and entertainment, business, sports and weather for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at bchampio@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter @BrandonThaChamp.