RACINE, WI (WOWO) Searchers have discovered the wreck of the luxury steamer Lac La Belle, more than 150 years after it sank in a gale on Lake Michigan.
The announcement was made by Shipwreck World and reported by The Associated Press. A team led by 80-year-old Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn located the vessel in October 2022 about 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Ehorn told The Associated Press the public announcement was delayed while his team worked to produce a three-dimensional video model of the wreck. Weather and scheduling challenges postponed additional dives until last summer.
Built in 1864 in Cleveland, Ohio, the 217-foot steamer operated between Cleveland and Lake Superior. After sinking in the St. Clair River in 1866 following a collision, the vessel was raised in 1869 and reconditioned.
On October 13, 1872, the Lac La Belle left Milwaukee for Grand Haven, Michigan, carrying 53 passengers and crew along with cargo including barley, pork, flour and whiskey. Roughly two hours into the trip, the ship began taking on water during a gale. The captain attempted to return to Milwaukee, but heavy waves extinguished the boilers and drove the vessel south.
Around 5 a.m., lifeboats were lowered before the ship went down stern-first. One lifeboat capsized en route to shore, killing eight people. The remaining boats reached land along the Wisconsin coast between Racine and Kenosha.
Ehorn said the wreck’s hull appears intact, though the exterior is covered with quagga mussels and the upper cabins are gone. He described the oak interior as still in good condition.
The Great Lakes are believed to hold between 6,000 and 10,000 shipwrecks, many of them undiscovered. The Lac La Belle marks the 15th shipwreck located by Ehorn during his decades-long search.
