New photos show how the waters of Lake Mead have plunged to their lowest level in history, revealing objects that have been hidden beneath the surface for years.
Among the latest discoveries to be revealed by receding waters is a World War II-era landing craft, similar to the one that downed American troops on Normandy beaches on D-Day in 1944.
The boat – a Higgins landing craft – was formerly about 185 feet below the surface of the lake, but is now halfway out of the water.
The water level at Lake Mead – America’s largest reservoir, formed by the Hoover Dam River and located approximately 24 miles from here. Las Vegas – has reached its lowest level since 1971.
Levels have been declining for the past few years, as a result of the ongoing major drought in the southwestern US, as well as increased water demand.
In addition to the Higgins craft and several other shipwrecks, the skeletal remains of several bodies, which are suspected to be victims of Las Vegas’ infamous mob past, have been found along the new shorelines of the lakes.
The boat – a Higgins landing craft – was formerly about 185 feet below the surface of the lake, but is now halfway out of the water
A World War Two-era Higgins landing craft also revealed from receding water as seen through a tangle of steel cables
The boat was built between 1942 and 1945, and was used to survey the Colorado River
The landing craft was found less than a mile from Lake Mead Marina and Hemingway Harbor. It was one of thousands built by Higgins between 1942 and 1945 to transport American troops during World War II.
It is unclear whether Higgins, found at Lake Mead, saw duty overseas, but after the war it was for a survey of the Colorado River, according to Las Vegas Review Journal,
According to a representative for Las Vegas Scuba, the boat was sold to a marina by the lake, before eventually sinking and being used as a breakwater below the surface for wreck dives. .
“As the water level continues to fluctuate and decline, we know this boat may come to the attention of both new and returning park visitors,” the National Park Service said in a statement. Its history and ask that as visitors enjoy the site, they leave it as they found it to avoid damaging the boat.’
Steep shoreline along Mead Lake. The revealed Higgins boat can be seen in the background
As of Friday, the water in the lake stood at 1,043.5 feet above sea level. That’s 4.5 feet less than a month ago, 25 feet down from the same time last year, and at least 54 feet less than two years ago.
Studies have shown that record low water levels are the result of the worst drought in centuries, with human-caused climate change made 72 percent worse.
As of Friday, the water in the lake stood at 1,043.5 feet above sea level. That’s 4.5 feet less than a month ago, 25 feet down from the same time last year, and at least 54 feet less than two years ago.
Studies have shown that record low water levels are the result of the worst drought in centuries, with human-caused climate change made 72 percent worse.
Amid fears of worsening weather patterns, experts say the reservoir will never fill up again.
The rocks that form the hard banks of the reservoir provide a clear example of how far the water level has fallen. A white band of mineral deposits stains the mountains like a ring on a bathtub, indicating that the water was at its high point after the 1983 floods.
In May, the body of a skeleton was found folded in a metal barrel along the receding shoreline. Las Vegas police said the body was that of a man who died of a head shot in the mid-1970s or early 80s.
Officials have not confirmed the theory, but many have speculated that it bears all the hallmarks of a gangland hit that would not have been unheard of in mob-driven Las Vegas, during which the victim was killed.
The remains of another body found in Colville Bay have been speculated to be a 1950s Vegas mobster—even though he may have been killed in an innocent accident as a result of dishonesty.
Skeleton body found in a steel barrel on the shore of Lake Mead. Police say the victim was killed from inside with a bullet to the head
Another body was found thanks to the receding waters of Lake Mead. Todd Collod thinks these bones may belong to his father, a mobster who drowned in the lake in 1958
Kolod suspected that the bones might be of his father after seeing a picture of the jaw with the missing teeth. His father wore dentures after losing a tooth in a car accident
Todd Kolod thinks that the body may be that of his father, Daniel Kolod – known to the Vegas mob as Ruby – who drowned in the lake in 1958 at the age of 22, and whose remains were never found.
He fell from a speedboat that capsized when he woke up 64 years ago while on a fishing trip with a friend.
Todd said his suspicions were allayed thanks to a photo of the body – specifically a snap of a skull with missing teeth, as his father wore dentures after a car accident that took his front teeth out. .
Todd was three years old at the time. He says that his family told him that his father was ‘gone,’ and that he only learned the grim truth as he grew up.
Todd said in an interview Class that his eyes were ‘opened’ when he heard that remains had been found in the Colville Bay section of Mead Lake.