Wreckage of ‘Ghost Ship’ F.J. King, Lost 139 Years Ago, Finally Discovered in Lake Michigan
LAKE MICHIGAN — After nearly 14 decades of mystery, researchers have finally located the wreck of the F.J. King, a schooner lost in 1886 and long regarded as one of the Great Lakes’ most elusive “ghost ships.”
The discovery was announced September 14 by the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association, just one day before the 139th anniversary of the vessel’s sinking.
A Ship Lost to a Gale in 1886
The F.J. King, a 144-foot, three-masted wooden schooner, was carrying iron ore from Michigan to Chicago when it met disaster. A gale struck in the middle of the night, forcing Captain William Griffin to order his crew to abandon ship.
Griffin and his men escaped in the yawl boat, watching as the schooner and its cargo slipped beneath the waves. They survived, but the ship vanished without a trace — fueling decades of speculation and failed search efforts.
Citizen Scientists Make the Breakthrough
Since the 1970s, numerous expeditions scoured Lake Michigan for the wreck, but all came up empty. This summer, a citizen-science project led by Brendon Baillod changed that.
With the help of about 20 volunteers, Baillod’s team used new DeepVision sidescan sonar and located the wreck in just two hours on June 28. “The moment of discovery was particularly dramatic,” Baillod said. “We were the first people to lay eyes on the ship since 1886.”
‘A Nautical Time Capsule’
The cold, fresh waters of the Great Lakes preserved the F.J. King in remarkable condition. “She is essentially a nautical time capsule, still containing all the articles she was lost with in 1886,” Baillod explained.
Unlike ocean wrecks degraded by marine worms, the King remains largely intact, showing only the damage from striking the lake bottom. Researchers say the ship offers a rare window into 19th-century maritime history.
Historic Recognition Ahead
Due to its significance and condition, the F.J. King is being nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. Maritime archaeologists say the vessel’s 19-year career reflects a vital period of American growth and industrialization when the Great Lakes served as a critical artery for commerce.
“This discovery closes one of the last great unsolved mysteries of Lake Michigan shipwrecks,” Baillod said.
Would you like to see historic shipwrecks like the F.J. King preserved for public education, or left untouched as underwater monuments? Share your thoughts in the comments on SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.
