Searchers uncover wreck of luxury steamer lost in Lake Michigan over 150 years agoA search team has discovered the wreck of a luxury steamer that sank in a Lake Michigan gale more than 150 years agoByTODD RICHMOND Associated PressFebruary 15, 2026, 12:52 PMMADISON, Wis. -- Searchers have discovered the wreck of a luxury steamer that sank in a Lake Michigan gale in the late 19th century, completing a quest that began almost 60 years ago. Shipwreck World, a group that works to locate shipwrecks around the globe, announced Friday that a team led by Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn found the Lac La Belle about 20 miles (32 kilometers) offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, in October 2022. Ehorn told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Sunday that the announcement was delayed because his team wanted to include a three-dimensional video model of the ship with it, but poor weather and other commitments kept his dive team from going back down to the wreck until last summer. Ehorn, 80, has been searching for shipwrecks since he was 15 years old.
