Luxury 1872 Steamer Found in Lake Michigan After 60-Year Search
Decades-long search culminates with discovery of intact 1872 Lac La Belle steamer wreck, documented before invasive mussels degrade the historic site.
- On Friday, Shipwreck World announced that Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn's team found the Lac La Belle in October 2022 about 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
- On Oct. 13, 1872 the Lac La Belle sank with 53 passengers and crew carrying barley, pork, flour and whiskey, reflecting the Great Lakes' 6,000 to 10,000 mostly undiscovered shipwrecks.
- Ross Richardson provided a clue that narrowed the search grid in 2022, and Paul Ehorn found the wreck using side-scan sonar after two hours on the lake.
- Ehorn said the announcement was delayed to include a three-dimensional video model, and his team returned last summer to find the hull intact with oak interiors preserved despite quagga mussels and a missing propeller.
- Ehorn, now 80, has searched for shipwrecks since age 15 and the Lac La Belle is the 15th shipwreck he has located, joining recent Lake Michigan discoveries like the Milwaukee and J.C. Ames.
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Lac La Belle was a luxurious passenger steamer that disappeared in the 19th century and for more than 150 years fed theories and stories about its destination.In recent hours, information about the discovery of its remains on Lake Michigan not only confirms its location, but also reveals an exceptional level of conservation that allows us to observe almost intact architectural details.What was the secret of Lac La Belle for more than 150 yearsTh…
Associated Press - After a tireless search that lasted nearly 60 years, a team has finally located the wreck of a luxury steamship that disappeared in Lake Michigan after succumbing to a powerful storm in the late 19th century. Shipwreck World, a group that works to locate shipwrecks around the world, announced Friday that a team led by shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn of Illinois found the Lac La Belle about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the coast be…
Luxury steamship 'Lac La Belle' found intact after 150 years underwater in Lake Michigan
Explorers have discovered the remains of the "Lac La Belle," a luxury steamship that sank in Lake Michigan more than 150 years ago. The vessel went down in 1872 with 53 people on board.
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