Lake explorers uncover long-lost vessel that capsized in Lake Michigan over 130 years ago
In a remarkable discovery, a team led by researcher Brendon Baillod has found the wreckage of the long-lost cargo schooner F.J. King off the Wisconsin coastline. The ship, which sank during a storm in 1886, has been missing for over a century.
The F.J. King was a 144-foot, three-masted cargo schooner built in 1867 in Toledo, Ohio. On Sept. 15, 1886, the ship ran into a gale off the Door Peninsula while transporting iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan, to Chicago. Waves estimated at 8 to 10 feet ruptured the ship's seams, causing it to sink bow-first around 2 a.m. Captain William Griffin ordered his men into the ship's yawl boat before the sinking. The ship's stern deckhouse blew away in the storm, sending Griffin's papers 50 feet into the air. A passing schooner picked up the crew and took them to Bailey's Harbor.
Searchers have been trying to find the F.J. King since the 1970s, but conflicting accounts of the ship's location stymied their efforts. However, the team led by Baillod, who also discovered the steamer L.W. Crane in the Fox River at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, earlier in 2025 and the schooner Trinidad off Algoma in 2023, persevered. Their dedication paid off, as the F.J. King was found off Bailey's Harbor, a town in Wisconsin.
The hull of the F.J. King appears to be intact, surprising searchers who expected to find it in pieces due to the weight of the iron ore the schooner was carrying. Photos of the F.J. King site show the wreckage is covered with invasive quagga mussels, a concern for shipwreck hunters who have been searching the lakes with more urgency in recent years due to the destructive effects of these mussels on wrecks.
The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association has discovered five wrecks in the last three years, including the F.J. King, the tugboat John Evenson, and the schooner Margaret A. Muir off Algoma, Wisconsin. The association's efforts to preserve and study these historical treasures are crucial in understanding the history of the Great Lakes, which are home to anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 shipwrecks, most of which remain undiscovered.
The discovery of the F.J. King is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of underwater archeologists and shipwreck hunters. As they continue their quest to uncover the secrets of the past, these discoveries serve as a reminder of the rich history that lies beneath the Great Lakes' waters.
