For 139 years, the F.J. King was more than a shipwreck; it was a maritime legend. Long rumored to be resting on the floor of Lake Michigan, the 144-foot schooner had become a 'ghost ship,' a sought-after prize that consistently frustrated shipwreck hunters. Built in 1867, this workhorse of the Great Lakes transported bulk cargo like iron ore and grain for nearly two decades before its demise.
The ship's final voyage concluded dramatically on September 15, 1886. While transporting iron ore from Michigan to Chicago, it encountered a ferocious gale off the Door Peninsula. Eight to ten-foot waves relentlessly pounded the wooden hull, rupturing its seams. After hours of a futile battle with hand pumps, Captain William Griffin made the critical decision to abandon ship.
The crew escaped into a yawl boat and watched as the F.J. King plunged bow-first into the lake around 2 a.m. They were safely rescued by a passing schooner, but the exact location of their vessel was lost to the darkness. For decades, the wreck taunted storytellers and divers, with conflicting reports from the captain and a local lighthouse keeper leading to numerous unsuccessful searches.
The mystery was finally solved by a team of citizen scientists and archaeologists led by researcher Brendon Baillod. Trusting the lighthouse keeper's century-old account over the captain's, they focused their search on a small grid. Using modern side-scan sonar, they were stunned to locate the vessel, largely intact despite its heavy cargo. This remarkable discovery has brought a tangible piece of maritime history back into the light, ending the long reign of one of Lake Michigan's most elusive ghost ships.