Wreckage of 'ghost ship' from 140 years ago discovered
(NewsNation) — The wreckage of a "ghost ship" that sank during a massive storm off the Wisconsin coastline almost 140 years ago has been discovered, searchers say.
The Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association confirmed Monday that the wreck of the F.J. King was uncovered in Lake Michigan on June 28.
According to the announcement, the ship was found off Bailey's Harbor, a town of about 280 people on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula, an outcropping of land jutting into Lake Michigan that gives the state its distinctive mitten-thumb shape.
The F.J. King, a three-master cargo schooner commanded by Captain William Griffin, was carrying iron ore from Michigan to Chicago back in September 1886 when a gale tore into the ship. Waves up to 10 feet ruptured the ship's seams, eventually leading it to sink around 2 a.m.
Researcher Brandon Baillod, who led the search team, believed that Griffin may not have known where he was in the darkness as the ship went down. He drew a 2-square-mile grid around the location a lighthouse keeper gave and proceeded to search it. Side-scan sonar uncovered an object measuring about 140 feet long, less than half a mile from the lighthouse keeper's location. It turned out to be the F.J. King.
“A few of us had to pinch each other,” said Baillod. “After all the previous searches, we couldn’t believe we had actually found it, and so quickly.”
Since the 1970s, searchers have tried to locate the F.J. King, but conflicting accounts of its whereabouts when it sank hindered their efforts. The difficulty among shipwreck hunters to find the F.J. King gave it the reputation as a ghost ship.
In the last three years, the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association has discovered five wrecks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.