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After Nearly 60 Years, Lac La Belle Steamer Found in Lake Michigan

The team revealed the 1872 wreck after creating a 3-D model from return dives last summer.

Overview

  • Shipwreck World reports Paul Ehorn’s team located the 217-foot vessel in October 2022 about 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
  • Ehorn says the hull rests upright with oak interiors in good condition, though quagga mussels blanket the exterior and the upper cabins are gone.
  • A clue from wreck hunter Ross Richardson helped narrow the search grid, and side-scan sonar identified the wreck in about two hours.
  • The steamer sank on Oct. 13, 1872 during a gale after uncontrolled flooding; one lifeboat capsized on the way to shore, killing eight people.
  • The discovery is Ehorn’s 15th confirmed shipwreck find and will be presented at the Ghost Ships Festival in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on March 7.