Searchers Find Wreck of Luxury Steamer Lost in Lake Michigan Over 150 Years Ago

The Lac La Belle, a 217-foot luxury steamer that sank in 1872, has been discovered by a veteran shipwreck hunter.

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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Shipwreck World, a group that locates shipwrecks globally, announced that a team led by Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn has discovered the wreck of the Lac La Belle, a luxury steamer that sank in a Lake Michigan gale in 1872. Ehorn has been searching for the wreck since 1965 and used a clue from fellow wreck hunter Ross Richardson to narrow down the search area, finding the ship using side-scan sonar after just two hours on the lake.

Why it matters

The discovery of the Lac La Belle wreck is significant as it completes a nearly 60-year quest to locate the ship, which sank with 53 passengers and crew aboard. The Great Lakes are home to thousands of undiscovered shipwrecks, and shipwreck hunters have been searching the lakes with more urgency in recent years due to concerns that invasive quagga mussels are slowly destroying the wrecks.

The details

The Lac La Belle was a 217-foot luxury steamer that ran between Cleveland and Lake Superior. It sank in the St. Clair River in 1866 after a collision, but was later raised and reconditioned. On October 13, 1872, the ship left Milwaukee for Grand Haven, Michigan, in a gale. About two hours into the trip, the ship began to take on water uncontrollably, and the captain turned it back toward Milwaukee. However, huge waves extinguished the boilers, and the storm drove the ship south. Around 5 a.m., the captain ordered lifeboats lowered, and the ship went down stern-first. One of the lifeboats capsized on the way to shore, killing eight people, but the other lifeboats made landfall along the Wisconsin coast between Racine and Kenosha.

  • In 1865, the Lac La Belle was built in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • In 1866, the Lac La Belle sank in the St. Clair River after a collision, but was later raised and reconditioned.
  • On October 13, 1872, the Lac La Belle left Milwaukee for Grand Haven, Michigan, and sank in a gale that night.
  • In 1965, Paul Ehorn began searching for the wreck of the Lac La Belle.
  • In October 2022, Ehorn's team located the wreck of the Lac La Belle about 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The players

Paul Ehorn

An 80-year-old Illinois shipwreck hunter who has been searching for shipwrecks since he was 15 years old, and has been trying to locate the Lac La Belle since 1965.

Ross Richardson

A fellow wreck hunter and author who provided Ehorn with a clue that helped him narrow down the search area and ultimately find the Lac La Belle.

Shipwreck World

A group that works to locate shipwrecks around the globe, and announced the discovery of the Lac La Belle wreck.

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What they’re saying

“It's kind of a game, like solve the puzzle. Sometimes you don't have many pieces to put the puzzle together but this one worked out and we found it right away.”

— Paul Ehorn, Shipwreck Hunter

“The information could alert searchers to another way to conduct research.”

— Ross Richardson, Wreck Hunter and Author

What’s next

Ehorn and his team plan to return to the wreck site this summer to capture additional 3D video footage of the Lac La Belle's well-preserved interior and exterior.

The takeaway

The discovery of the Lac La Belle wreck is a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to locate and document the thousands of undiscovered shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, which face increasing threats from invasive species like quagga mussels. This find highlights the dedication and persistence of shipwreck hunters like Paul Ehorn, who have spent decades searching for these lost pieces of history.