A steamer that sank in a terrible storm about one hundred and fifty years ago has finally been found. Searchers have found the wreckage of the luxury ship Lac La Belle, which sank in Lake Michigan in America. With this discovery, almost 60 years old search was completed. According to CBS News, ‘Shipwreck World’, the team that discovered this ship, said that in October 2022, the team of famous shipwreck researcher Paul Ahron of Illinois discovered it about 20 miles inside the lake. However, the discovery was announced now because the team wanted to create a 3-D model of the ship and the dive was delayed again due to bad weather.

How did the ship sink?

Lac La Belle was a massive 217-foot steamer built in 1864 in Cleveland, Ohio. It was counted among the most popular ships of its time. On October 13, 1872, this ship departed from Milwaukee with 53 passengers and crew. The ship was also loaded with barley, pork, flour and whiskey. About two hours after the start of the journey, the ship suddenly started filling with water. The captain tried to turn the ship back, but the weather deteriorated rapidly. High waves extinguished the fire of the ship’s boiler and the ship sank from the rear at around 5 am. The passengers were watching this scene sitting in the lifeboat, but one of the lifeboats capsized and eight people lost their lives.

60 years of stubbornness

80-year-old Paul Ahron has been searching for shipwrecks since he was 15. He had been trying to find Lac La Belle since 1965. In 2022, he decided the search area on the basis of a specific information received from another explorer Ross Richardson. After this, the ship was detected in just two hours using side-scan sonar technology. “It’s like solving a puzzle,” Ahron said. Sometimes you have very few clues, but this time luck was on our side.

In what condition was the ship found?

The exterior of the ship inside the lake is covered with algae and quagga mussels. The upper cabins have been destroyed, but the structure of the ship is largely safe. The oak wood part inside is also said to be in good condition. Experts estimate that between 6,000 and 10,000 shipwrecks may exist in the Great Lakes region, most of which are still undiscovered. The pace of discovery of these ruins has increased in recent years, because invasive creatures are damaging these historical remains. Lac La Belle is the 15th shipwreck discovered by Aharon. He says, ‘Now the search for the next one will begin. The easy ones have been found, now the work is becoming more difficult.