In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers announced on Friday that they have located the remains of a luxury steamer that sank in Lake Michigan back in 1872.
Shipwreck World, an organization dedicated to identifying shipwrecks worldwide, revealed this significant find. The discovery was made by a team led by renowned Illinois shipwreck hunter, Paul Ehorn. At 80 years old, Ehorn and his team identified the wreck of the Lac La Belle approximately 20 miles off the coast between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, in October 2022.
The announcement was postponed, as the team intended to release a three-dimensional video of the wreck alongside their report. However, adverse weather conditions delayed their access until the past summer.
In a conversation with The Associated Press, Ehorn shared that he had been on the quest to find Lac La Belle since 1965.
Sailboats can be seen gliding over Lake Michigan beneath a blue supermoon rising above Chicago on August 30, 2023. (Getty Images)
“Finding it felt like solving a puzzle,” Ehorn remarked. “Sometimes you don’t have enough pieces, but this one came together perfectly, and we located it immediately.” He described his emotions as “super elated” upon the discovery.
Ehorn said he was able to narrow down his search thanks to a clue from wreck hunter and author Ross Richardson. Ehorn declined to say what the clue was, but Richardson told The Associated Press that he had heard of a local fisherman who pulled up an item specific to a steam ship in a “certain location.”
According to an account on Shipwreck World, the Lac La Belle was built in 1864, in Cleveland, Ohio. The massive 217-foot (66-meter) steamer ran between Cleveland and Lake Superior but sank in the St. Clair River in 1866 after a collision. The ship was raised in 1869 and reconditioned.
The ship’s final trip began when it left Milwaukee for Grand Haven, Michigan, in a gale on the night of Oct, 13, 1872, with 53 passengers and crew and a cargo of barley, pork, flour and whiskey. About two hours into the trip, the ship began to leak uncontrollably.
The wreck of the Lac La Belle was found off the coast of Wisconsin. (iStock)
The captain turned the Lac La Belle back to Milwaukee, but waves came crashing over the vessel, extinguishing its boilers. The captain ultimately ordered lifeboats lowered and the ship went down stern first.
