MISSISSAGI STRAIT—The television show ‘Expedition Unknown’ is set to air an episode about the potential wreck of La Salle’s ship Le Griffon in the waters of Lake Huron just west of Manitoulin Island on Discovery Channel on Wednesday, May 8.
“It’ll be a pretty exciting show. The only thing they told me when they were in the middle of the editing stage was that Joan (Forsberg)—my wife—and I will be very pleased. She was interviewed at Niagara Falls and I was part of the expedition at Manitoulin,” said author and underwater enthusiast Cris Kohl who joined the Discovery film crew this past summer.
Le Griffon has been cited as the ‘Holy Grail of undiscovered Great Lakes shipwrecks.’ The vessel disappeared on its maiden voyage round-trip in 1679. It was fitted with seven cannons and some say it should be considered the first ship on the Great Lakes.
After making a successful first trip to the Green Bay area in Lake Michigan, it departed for home with six crewmembers and thousands of dollars’ worth of furs. After it set sail it was never seen again.
Several people have claimed to have found Le Griffon, but many of these claims have since been debunked. Its true location remains a mystery—that is, unless the diving expedition from this past summer may have produced conclusive evidence.
Mr. Kohl has written several books with his wife about maritime history. The couple are self-described as maritime historians, divers, photographers, videographers, authors and speakers. They released their book ‘The Wreck of the Griffon’ in early 2015, billing it as “the greatest mystery of the Great Lakes.”
They were a natural choice to help out with this television special. Both have extensive knowledge of the underwater world of the Great Lakes and were able to add their unique perspectives to the dialogue.
Ms. Forsberg was interviewed on the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls while Mr. Kohl got to be on-scene with the dive crew in the Mississagi Strait. Joining them was Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago co-founder Valerie Van Heest, who dove alongside ‘Expedition Unknown’ host Josh Gates. They and the production crew from California set out on a well-equipped research vessel brought up from Minnesota.
Mr. Kohl said this show provided a much more immersive experience than previous shows on which he has appeared.
“I’ve been interviewed by the History Channel a number of times over the years. With them, you sit in a dark room with a spotlight on you and some guy sitting off to the side asking questions. Quite frankly, it’s pretty boring compared to ‘Expedition Unknown.’ They truly make history exciting—we were more than just talking heads, we were involved in the action and that was fun,” Mr. Kohl said.
The burning question at the front of anyone’s minds who know of the Griffon is whether the team found the wreck. The only way to answer that question is to tune into the show’s premiere. All the cast and crew have signed non-disclosure agreements and could not even provide hints as to the outcome of the episode.
“I can say this much: most of the time, Josh does not find what he goes looking for but they still run the show. At the very least, in those instances, he still comes up with something that gives hope that there may be more to come some day,” said Mr. Kohl.
Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Kohl said the show will be an interesting one to watch next month. Barring any scheduling changes, ‘Expedition Unknown’ will air on Discovery Channel at 9 pm on Wednesday, May 8.
