The descendants of those who were lost in the 1895 Africa shipwreck off the Bruce Peninsula are planning to visit the wreck site next year.
Documentarian Yvonne Drebert, who, with her partner Zach Melnick discovered the wreck this summer says, “We are planning to, in the spring take some of those descendants out to check out the wreck with our robot in real time and hopefully figure out a way that we can memorialize the folks that were lost on that ship.”
She says three of the descendants who reached out are those of Captain Larsen, who Drebert says is believed to have gone down with the ship and notes the cove she and Melnick live by, is named Larsen’s Cove after the captain.
Drebert says Larsen’s great grandchildren, who now live all over Ontario reached out to her and Melnick after the story was first published in Canadian Geographic. She says Larsen was originally from Toronto, but it was a relative in BC who initially recognized the connection.
“This story kind of still existed in family lore. They knew of course, Captain Larsen’s wife Jenny was left alone with her children after the loss of Captain Larsen,” says Drebert.
She adds, “It’s really a story of, obviously heartbreak, because they never found Captain Larsen’s body, but also for the family it was clearly a tough time economically and I’m sure emotionally as well.”
Drebert estimates Larsen’s great grandchildren are now in their 70s or 80s.
Descendants of other crew members have also reached out. Drebert says a descendant of Matthew Hayes, who was the engineer of the Africa has reached out from eastern Ontario. Drebert notes there is also a woman who thinks she might be related to one of the wheelmen of the ship, but is currently doing research to determine if that’s the case.
“It’s kind of amazing that this story really does live on in people’s families,” says Drebert.
The Africa went down in 1895 during an early season snow storm. It’s exact location has not been released because it is a protected grave site.
Drebert and Melnick discovered the wreck while working on a documentary about the invasive quagga mussel in the Great Lakes called All Too Clear. The Africa itself is covered in the mussels, which Drebert says threatens the wreck and others like it in the Great Lakes.
Captain Hans P. Larsen and wife Jane (Jenny) Larsen. Image courtesy of Doug Inkster