Discovery of Historic “Ghost Ship” Wreck After 140 Years

After 140 years, the wreck of a cargo schooner known as the “ghost ship” has been found off the Wisconsin coast. The vessel, named FJ King, sank during a violent storm, and its remains were discovered on June 28 by a team led by researcher Brandon Byrod, according to confirmations from the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association.

Baillod, who had previously led the often unsuccessful search for this ship, shared with The Associated Press that this significant find came after years of dedicated exploration in Lake Michigan’s depths.

The wreck was located in Bailey Port, a small community of approximately 280 residents along Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula, which juts into Lake Michigan.

The FJ King was a 144-foot, three-mast cargo schooner constructed in Toledo, Ohio, back in 1867. On September 15, 1886, it was transporting iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan to Chicago when tragedy struck.

During the storm, waves reaching up to 10 feet caused severe damage, leading to the ship’s sinking at around 2 a.m., despite the crew’s attempts to evacuate water.

Notably, the deckhouse at the stern was blown away, and documents belonging to Captain William Griffin were scattered into the air. Fortunately, the crew managed to be rescued by another schooner that happened by and were taken to Bailey’s port.

For many years, conflicting reports regarding the ship’s location complicated efforts to locate it. Shipwreck hunters had been exploring the area since the 1970s but were unable to find the FJ King, leading some to label it as a “ghost ship.”

Baillod focused his search on a specific two-square-mile area, guided by reports from the lighthouse keeper, which turned out to be pivotal. The discovery was made possible when Sidescan Radar detected a large object measuring 140 feet, approximately half a mile from the originally reported sighting.

“Some of us had to pinch each other when we found it,” Baillod remarked. “After all those past searches, it was surreal to finally locate it.”

He added that the hull appeared to be largely intact, which was unexpected given the heavy iron ore it had been carrying.

In recent years, Wisconsin’s Underwater Archaeology Association has uncovered five shipwrecks, including the steamer LW Crane on the Fox River in Oshkosh, along with the tugboats John Ebenson and the schooner Margaret A. Muir in Algoma. Baillod himself discovered another schooner named Trinidad back in 2023.