Searchers have found the wreck of a schooner that sank nearly 140 years ago in Lake Michigan, off Wisconsin’s coast. This discovery marks the end of decades-long efforts to locate the F.J. King, which went missing during a fierce storm in 1886.
- Wreck of the cargo schooner F.J. King found
- Discovered off Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin
- Ship sank during a storm in 1886
- Hull remains surprisingly intact after years underwater
- Searchers used side-scan radar technology
- Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association found five wrecks recently
On June 28, a team led by researcher Brandon Baillod, part of the Wisconsin Historical Society and Underwater Archaeology Association, located the 144-foot cargo schooner. The ship sank during a gale while carrying iron ore from Michigan to Chicago. The wreck is surprisingly intact, lying less than half a mile from the lighthouse keeper’s reported location. This discovery ends a long search that began in the 1970s, when conflicting reports initially hampered efforts to find the ship.
- The F.J. King sank during a storm on September 15, 1886, with waves of 8-10 feet.
- Captain William Griffin ordered the crew into a yawl boat before the schooner sank bow-first around 2 a.m.
- The ship’s stern deckhouse was blown away, and the crew was rescued by a passing schooner.
- Search efforts in the past misidentified the wreck’s location, leading to its reputation as a ghost ship.
The discovery offers new insights into 19th-century shipwrecks and maritime history in Lake Michigan. The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association has now found five wrecks in three years, including the schooner Trinidad in 2023. The intact hull of the F.J. King surprises experts, given its heavy cargo of iron ore.
This find highlights the importance of advanced technology in underwater archaeology and could reshape historical understanding of the region’s maritime disasters.
