140 Year-Old Sunken Ship Off The Coast Of Door County Finally Found
An investigation on a mystery sunken ship off the Door Peninsula finally closed
Published October 16, 2025

Multiple decades later, the “Ghost Ship” off the coast of Door County was finally found by divers. 

The ship lost was called the F.J. King, a 144-foot, three-masted wooden schooner built in 1867 in Toledo, Ohio. The ship was on the lakes for 19 years, when she encountered the storm. The F.J. King was on its way to Chicago from Escanaba, Michigan, carrying iron ore. 

In September of 1886, the F.J. King was swept up in a Lake Michigan Gale Storm off the coast of the Door Peninsula. According to the Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association, the ship encountered 8-10 foot waves and caused her seams to open. (RELATED: ‘Is He Dead Yet?’: Wisconsin Dems Under Fire for Anti-Trump Hate Bracelets)

After hours of dumping water, Captain William Griffin ordered the men to gather their belongings and get into the ship’s yawl boat. The crew were picked up by the passing schooner La Petite, which took them to Baileys Harbor. 

The wreck has baffled treasure hunters since the 1970s, with conflicting stories and legends making the wreck hard to find. Neptune’s Dive Club in Green Bay had issued a $1000 reward for its discovery. 

While the captain’s report claimed about 5 miles from shore, the lighthouse watchman reported to see the mast only 5 miles from shore. Commercial fishermen also made claims of bringing up pieces of the ship in their nets. 

In June, according to the Associated Press, The WUAA’s new DeepVision sidescan sonar clearly showed the vessel’s hatches and enabled Principal investigator Brendon Baillod to measure the object. (RELATED: ‘Another Burden’: Wisconsin Leaders Split Over Wheel Tax Hike)

“A few of us had to pinch each other,” Baillod said in the announcement. “After all the previous searches, we couldn’t believe we had actually found it, and so quickly.”

The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association has now discovered five wrecks in the last three years. The group found the steamer L.W. Crane in the Fox River at Oshkosh, as well as tugboat John Evenson and schooner Margaret A. Muir off Algoma earlier in the year.