A 19th-century luxury steamer that famously sank in Lake Michigan has been photographed for the very first time.
The Lac La Belle, a grand 217-foot steamer, embarked on a journey from Milwaukee to Grand Haven, Michigan, on the night of October 13, 1872, carrying 53 passengers and crew members.
Just two hours into the voyage, the vessel began taking on water at an alarming rate, prompting the captain to steer back toward the safety of Wisconsin’s shores.
During the retreat, the ship encountered massive waves that doused its boilers, forcing the crew to lower lifeboats for evacuation. Tragically, one of these lifeboats capsized en route to the shore, resulting in the loss of eight lives.
Originally constructed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1864, the Lac La Belle was rediscovered in October 2022, roughly 20 miles off the coast between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, by shipwreck enthusiast Paul Ehorn and his team.
On Sunday, Ehorn, who has been captivated by the idea of finding this historic wreck since he was just 15, announced the remarkable discovery, unveiling stunning underwater images of the long-lost vessel.
He and his team decided to postpone telling the public of their massive find because they wanted to include a three-dimensional video model of the ship along with the exciting announcement, Ehorn told the Associated Press.
His crew couldn’t get back in the water until last summer to capture the clip because of poor weather conditions, the 80-year-old said.
According to Ehorn, the hull of the ship and its oak interiors are still in great condition even after all these years.
Lac La Belle, a massive steamer ship that sank into Lake Michigan in 1872, has finally been found
Shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn and his team located the vessel in October 2022, but waited until Sunday to announce their finding and images of the archaic boat
After sitting in the water for decades, the exterior of the boat has become encased in quagga mussels. Its upper cabins are also gone.
He told the AP that a clue from fellow shipwreck hunter and author Ross Richardson is what helped him pinpoint where the ship was.
‘It’s kind of a game, like solve the puzzle. Sometimes you don’t have many pieces to put the puzzle together but this one worked out and we found it right away,’ Ehorn recalled.
His team used Richardson’s hint to narrow down the search grid, and they eventually found the steamer after just two hours in the lake with the help of side-scan sonar, he said.
Ehorn did not specify exactly what clue from Richardson helped him get to the ship, but did say he learned of a commercial fisherman at a ‘certain location’ who had discovered what Richardson described as an item specific to steam ships from the 1800s.
Before disappearing in 1872, the Lac La Belle sank in the St. Clair River in 1866 following a collision. It was recovered and raised out of the water in 1869 and then reconditioned, according to Shipwreck World.
The Lac La Bella is the 15th shipwreck Ehorn has located, and he is already ready to find his next one.
Lac La Bella departed Michigan on the evening of October 13, 1872, with 53 passengers and crew onboard. Just two hours into the trip, it started to take on an uncontrollable amount of water before sinking
‘It was one more to put a check mark by. Now it’s on to the next one. It’s getting harder and harder. The easier ones have been found,’ he stated.
He will be presenting the major discovery on March 7 at the 2026 Ghost Ship Festival in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
During the event, he will show the highly anticipated underwater video and tell people about the journey to the discovery.
