Historic F.J. King cargo schooner wreck found after 140 years in Lake Michigan

Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from Todd Richmond at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article.

After nearly 140 years of searching, researchers have finally discovered the wreckage of the cargo schooner F.J. King, which sank during a fierce storm off Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coastline in 1886.

Some key facts:

• The F.J. King was a 144-foot, three-masted cargo schooner built in 1867 in Toledo, Ohio, designed to transport grain and iron ore.

• The ship sank on Sept. 15, 1886, during a gale while carrying iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan, to Chicago.

• Waves estimated at 8 to 10 feet ruptured the ship’s seams, forcing Capt. William Griffin and his crew to abandon ship around 2 a.m.

• The wreckage was discovered on June 28 by researcher Brandon Baillod’s team off Bailey’s Harbor on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula.

• Searchers had been looking for the F.J. King since the 1970s, but conflicting location reports made it difficult to find.

• The ship developed a reputation as a “ghost ship” among shipwreck hunters due to the unsuccessful decadeslong search efforts.

• The hull was found surprisingly intact despite carrying heavy iron ore cargo, located less than half a mile from where a lighthouse keeper reported seeing masts.

• The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association has discovered five wrecks in the last three years, including this significant find.

READ MORE: Searchers discover shipwreck of schooner that sank in Lake Michigan almost 140 years ago