F.J. King shipwreck digital image courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society
LIBERTY GROVE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A 139-year-old shipwreck discovered off the coast of Door County is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Earlier this year, the F.J. King was added to the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places.
It was located in Lake Michigan near Liberty Grove by Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association (WUAA) citizen scientists and principal investigator, Brendon Baillod, using remote-operated vehicles.
The schooner F.J. King was constructed by Master Shipbuilder George R. Rogers in 1867 in Toledo, Ohio. It operated in the Great Lakes grain, coal, lumber, and iron ore trades and experienced groundings and collisions that required repair. The schooner was re-rigged as a three-masted schooner in 1885, but the ship lines remained the same throughout its history.
On September 15, 1886, F.J. King was sailing with a cargo of iron ore collected at Escanaba, Michigan, bound for Chicago. In a heavy wind, it sprang a leak that could not be controlled. The captain turned the ship around, but it became unmanageable, rolling heavily in the seas. After the crew signaled for assistance, they fled to the yawl with their luggage and were picked up by the passing schooner La Petite. The F.J. King went down by its bow with the masts breaking the surface of the water. Although salvage attempts were made to recover the ship, it was ultimately abandoned.
The F.J. King shipwreck site was documented by Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologists and volunteers in August and October 2025. The site has produced a wealth of archaeological knowledge and has the potential to yield additional important archaeological data in future years. The vessel sits upright with the hull intact; however, damage sustained during its sinking is evident at the bow. Additionally, its cabin blew off due to expanding air pressure in its hull as it plunged to the lake bottom, which damaged the sides of the ship’s hull near the location of the cabin. All hull components remain intact on the ship or hidden within its hull, and some are scattered on the surrounding lakebed.
State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structures when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. More information on Wisconsin’s historic shipwrecks may be found by visiting Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks website: Wisconsin Shipwrecks
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