A group of citizen scientists uncovered a ghost ship that’s been missing for nearly 139 years 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.”
Ghost Ship Discovery
According to a press release published by the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association, Baillod, along with 20 other citizen scientists from around the Midwest, found the F.J. King. Though the announcement was just released, the ship was originally discovered on June 28.
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The 144-foot-long schooner, a type of sailing vessel with two or more masts, sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan in 1886. 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, resulting in the crew’s evacuation and the ship’s sinking.
According to USA Today, the team was able to find the vessel using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and sonar. The focus of the project was originally testing the sonar and ROV, before the surprise discovery.
The ship was discovered approximately 70 miles northeast of Green Bay, though its exact location will be released once the site has been registered with the National Register. The ship has long been searched for, and the Green Bay-based Neptune’s Dive Club even offered a $1,000 reward for its discovery.
“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.”
In addition to the discovery itself, the finding is also significant as it marks the first time citizen scientists and community historians from around the Midwest have participated in searching for a historic wreck.
