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Ghost ship missing for nearly 140 years found in Lake Michigan
Citizen scientists discovered a ghost ship that had eluded historians and shipwreck hunters for decades, lying at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
“A few of us had to pinch each other,” said Brendon Baillod, president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association, in a statement. “After all the previous searches, we couldn’t believe we had actually found it, and so quickly.”
On Sunday, Sept. 14, the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association announced that Baillod, along with 20 other citizen scientists from around the Midwest, found the F.J. King, a ship that’s been missing for 139 years, according to a press release published by the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association.
“They were the first humans to lay eyes on F.J. King in 139 years,” according to the press release.
How did the ship get discovered?
On June 28, the team discovered the ship, a 144-foot-long schooner – a type of sailing vessel with two or more masts – that sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan in 1886.
The team located it using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and sonar.
The discovery was considered a “long shot,” and the team was mostly focused on learning about the sonar and the ROV used to find the ship, according to the press release.
Kevin Cullen, executive director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, points to the sonar image of the F.J. King on June 29, 2025. The wooden schooner sank on Sept. 15, 1886 while carrying 600 tons of iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan, to Chicago.
Where was the F.J. King discovered?
The ship was discovered at the bottom of Lake Michigan, off Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, approximately 70 miles northeast of Green Bay.
It “was hidden in plain sight, right where it was supposed to be,” Baillod said.
The exact location of the sunken ship will be released to the public once the site has been registered with the National Register, according to the press release.
A decades-long search and a $1,000 reward
Since the 1970s, many maritime historians and shipwreck hunters have searched for the 144-foot, three-masted F.J. King.
The Green Bay-based Neptune’s Dive Club even put out a $1,000 reward for its discovery, according to the press releases.
“Area commercial fishermen claimed to bring up pieces of her in their nets, and the local lighthouse keeper claimed to have seen her masts breaking the surface,” according to the press release. “But when wreckhunters scoured the area, they continually came up empty-handed.”
The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association chartered The Shoreline, a tour vessel, from the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands, to share the experience of searching for the ship with a larger community.
While the discovery is noteworthy in its own right, it is also the first time that citizen scientists and community historians from around the Midwest were able to participate in searching for a historic wreck. The Underwater Archeological Association took out more than a dozen people, including Caitlin Looby, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a part of the USA TODAY Network, over the course of two days to see firsthand what it’s like to locate a shipwreck.
In addition to the excitement, Baillod said, the event provided members of the public with an opportunity to come together and experience the allure of Great Lakes maritime history.
Map of F.J. King’s intended journey
Can’t see the map? Click here.
What happened to the F.J. King?
The F.J. King was built in Toledo, Ohio, in 1867. It had a “very successful 19-year career” before attempting to transport 600 tons of iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan, to Chicago, according to the press release.
On Sept. 15, 1886, while traveling to Chicago, the ship was filled with water after 10-foot waves caused the King’s aging wooden seams to open during a storm. Water poured in too fast for the crew to pump it out, and the ship’s captain ordered the eight-man crew onto the yawl boat.
The Cana Island Lighthouse keeper gave one of the biggest clues to where the ship sank 139 years ago. They reported seeing the masts of the King protruding from the water after it sank. The lighthouse, pictured on June 29, 2025, is located in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin.
At around 2 a.m. on Sept. 16, the crew watched the King’s stern suddenly rise high into the air, sending the load of iron ore crashing forward with such force that it blew the deckhouse off. The crew watched as the captain’s papers were hurled 50 feet into the air.
The King disappeared into a 137-foot-deep grave. The passing schooner La Petite picked up all eight crew members and took them to Baileys Harbor.
The next week, a lighthouse keeper reported seeing the masts of the King protruding from the water in the shipping lane — an important clue regarding where the King lay hidden.
Baillod and the accompanying citizen scientists located the ship around half a mile away from the area the lightkeeper reported seeing it.
“Baillod had collected hundreds of original documents about the ship and her loss,” according to the press release. “He had corresponded with previous searchers who told him that the entire area had already been searched, but he wasn’t dissuaded.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ghost ship F.J. King found 139 years after it sank in Lake Michigan