F.J. King shipwreck digital image courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society
(WTAQ-WLUK) — A 139-year-old shipwreck that was recently discovered off the coast of Door County is now listed on the State Register of Historic Places.
The F.J. King was one of the most highly sought ships on Lake Michigan and has been the subject of countless search efforts since the 1970s.
With their remote operated vehicles, Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association (WUAA) citizen scientists and principal investigator Brendon Baillod were the first humans to lay eyes on F.J. King since it sank on Sept. 15, 1886.
The shipwreck was discovered near the Town of Liberty Grove in Door County.
On September 15, 1886, the F.J. King’s hull sprang a leak while carrying iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan, to Chicago. The ship’s pumps could not keep up with the incoming water, and the vessel sank off Door County. The F.J. King site was located during a citizen science project conducted by the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association in June 2025. The shipwreck site was documented by Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologists and volunteers in August and October 2025. It remains very intact and has not been visited by divers outside of the initial surveys.
The F.J. King is one of several wrecks recently found in Lake Michigan. Scientists say they’re planning to head to the water again this year looking for more.
State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime.
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