USS Juneau was an Atlanta Class cruiser which sank during WW2. She took a long lance torpedo to the midsection during the battle of guadalcanal, but survived. Following the battle, she was struck by a torpedo from a japanese submarine (which wasn't even aimed at her), which struck her in nearly the same place as the first torpedo, detonating her magazines and sending her to the bottom in about 20 seconds.

Assuming that nobody could have survived such a violent sinking, no attempt was made to recover survivors, and it wasn't until 8 days later that the remaining survivors were located. According to their testimony, around 100 men survived, but only 10 were recovered.

Her significance is mainly due to the presence of the Sullivan brothers, a group of five brothers who joined up after pearl harbor and insisted on serving on the same ship. All five were killed in the sinking, but according to survivor accounts, three were killed in the sinking, and two died in the days that followed.

Because of their death, family members were forbidden to serve in the same places, for fear of another similar incident. This is the main inspiration for Saving Private Ryan, and is even mentioned in the film.

The wreck is absolutely mangled. The bow and stern are on top of one another, with the midsection some distance away.

2004 October 21: The 1978-built Russian passenger ship ANTONINA NEZHDANOVA was severely damaged by a typhoon at her berth in the port of Fushiki, Japan. The storm left the ship partially submerged with her funnel resting on the quay. Typhoon "Tokage" smashed the Far Eastern Shipping Company's vessel against the concrete pier, cracking the hull. According to reports from Vladivostok, all 44 passengers and 68 crew members on board were safety off the ship. Reports have the Russian captain requesting a tugboat to tow the ship into open water ahead of the storm, but no tug was provided. The ship had sailed from Vladivostok on October 16. Scrapped at Shanghai.

i've seen this in a marseille port, i think the cruise port, and always wondered what it is. it starts appearing on google earth historic imagery in 2018. i'm fairly certain it's a sunken ship, but i can't find any information on it. so does anyone know if it is, and if it has any history? thank you :) link: https://goo.gl/maps/DyGnhZYXj2Hkzfkj9?g_st=ac (not sure if it works) coordinates: 43.3529008, 5.3167441

53.209242, 159.954592
Japanese whaling ship beached in Russia.

Located supper close to the wreck of MV Free Enterprise 3. I’m not too sure if it’s a rock, wreck or an issue with Google Maps. I found nothing on marinetraffic.org.

Location:

21.37486, 39.13610

Google Maps link:

https://www.google.com/maps?q=21.374859394788192,39.1361004834977

https://openwrecks.org/viewer/unmarked-ship-47

Obscurity Does Not Nullify Their Significance: Victims of the Sinking of S.S. Lac La Belle

Despite an interest in Great Lakes maritime history, I had never heard of S.S. Lac La Belle before 13 February 2026, when it was announced that the wreck of the 217-foot-long, wood-hulled vessel had been discovered on the bottom of Lake Michigan. In the accompanying news release, I noticed that the only reference to the victims of the 14 October 1872 sinking was the brief mention that a lifeboat “capsized in the heavy seas, sending 8 people to their death,”[1] with the same figure cited in articles on the discovery by new outlets throughout the country. This lack of information about the victims compelled me to research the victims and their lives.

Although an initial list of those lost in the sinking was swiftly compiled and circulated by newspapers throughout the United States, it was not complete, as additional victims were identified in the ensuing weeks. The passenger list circulated by newspapers was also imperfect, as it appears to have included only those who bought tickets upon boarding, rather than those who purchased them in advance through other channels.

During my research, I found that the number of those lost in the sinking of S.S. Lac La Belle was not eight but at least eleven, and that this random grouping of individuals, eternally bound together by disaster, was truly reflective of the time. Within this microcosm of American society were a Union Army veteran, a freed slave, a successful farmer, a former sheriff, a traveling salesman, and others, all of whom left behind voids through their respective loss.

While the discovery of the Lac La Belle’s wreck is indeed a significant event, we would be remiss to neglect the human factor in the tragedy, for to let the inanimate overshadow the animate is to inhibit the humanization of history. Even though the identities and biographical details of those who perished are not equally known in their extent or detail, their obscurity does not nullify their significance in relation to the vessel itself or within history more broadly.

Overall, while I cannot affirm that the following is an indisputably accurate and complete listing of those who perished in the sinking of Lac La Belle, I am confident that it comes the closest to attaining these qualities than any other source.

[The Sinking of S.S. Lac La Belle]
At 9:00 PM on 13 October 1872, S.S. Lac La Belle, a passenger and freight steamship owned by the Englemann Transportation Company, departed from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, bound for Grand Haven, Michigan. On this voyage, in addition to her thirty-two crew members, the steamer carried no less than twenty-five passengers, a total of at least fifty-seven souls aboard. The Lac La Belle was also laden with approximately 500 tons of various cargo, including barley, flour, pork, whiskey, and animal feed. About three hours into her crossing of Lake Michigan, the vessel began taking on water, with some crew members later recalling that high waves caved in several side scuttles.
In the early morning hours of 14 October 1872, the crew and passengers began throwing cargo overboard to lighten the ship, but this proved futile when the rising water extinguished the boilers, rendering the steam-powered pumps useless. While some continued to operate the hand pumps in a vain effort to keep the steamer afloat, the captain soon recognized that the ship was beyond saving. As the vessel sank by the stern, its five lifeboats were loaded and lowered. Around 6:00 AM, S.S. Lac La Belle slipped beneath the waves of Lake Michigan, about twenty miles off the coast of Racine, Wisconsin. The survivors were adrift in the lifeboats for several hours before being rescued at various points throughout the day.

The survivors totaled forty-six, thirty-one crewmembers and fifteen passengers, but at least eleven people, one crewman and ten passengers, perished during the sinking, of whom four were later recovered. Most primary and secondary sources cite the capsizing of a lifeboat, which resulted in the death of some of its occupants, as the singular source of loss of life, but this is inaccurate. Several were reported to have stayed aboard the steamship until the very end, believing it safer than the smaller lifeboats. Regardless, the gale-force winds and high waves prevented those in the other boats from mounting a rescue attempt, with the survivors noting they last saw some of the victims clinging to life preservers amid the rising and falling swells of Lake Michigan.

[The Victims]
- Crew:
~ Henry Adams ~
Little is known about Henry Adams aside from the fact that he worked aboard Lac La Belle as its Second Cook and resided in Milwaukee, WI. Survivors stated that they last saw him standing “in the forward gangway”[2] shortly before the ship sank beneath the waves.

- Passengers:
~ Thomas M. Downing (aged 23) ~
Thomas M. Downing was born on 29 June 1849 in Templenoe, Ireland. After his family immigrated to the United States, he attended Notre Dame University during the 1868-1869 academic year. Downing resided in Little Traverse, MI, where he owned and operated a general store and lumberyard, which he had inherited after his father’s death only months earlier. He was in Milwaukee conducting business and intended to visit friends in Detroit after returning to Michigan aboard the Lac La Belle. Initially, newspapers only referred to him by his surname, which was often misspelled as “Dunning.”[3] He was survived by his wife, Sarah; daughter, Anna; and mother, Ann.

~ Henry Freeman (aged 39) ~
Henry Freeman was born on 10 November 1832 in Kingston, New York. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was working as a schoolteacher in Bedford, Ohio. He soon enlisted in the Union Army as a Private in Company A, 42nd Ohio Infantry, later re-enlisting as a Hospital Steward with the 45th and 51st Ohio Infantry Regiments. After being honorably mustered out, Freeman returned to Bedford, where he was elected Township Clerk and Recorder in 1866 and opened a drugstore soon after. He was also an active member of the local Grand Army of the Republic post. At the time of his death, Freeman was employed as an “agent for the chair manufactory establishment of W. O. Taylor & Co.”[4] His body was recovered on 15 November 1872 at Pentwater, MI, and described as wearing “a cork life preserver, and the outfit of a traveling agent,”[5] and carrying forty-seven dollars, a gold watch, and “his memorandum book.”[6] Freeman was buried in Bedford Cemetery, Bedford, OH, on a Sunday, during which all other houses of worship refused to hold their own services, out of respect for one of the township’s “most estimable citizens.”[7] He was survived by his wife, Sarah; son, Henry; daughter, Charlotte; and father, William.

~ Norris Wilcox Gilbert Jr. (aged 20) ~
Norris Wilcox Gilbert Jr. was born on 30 June 1852 in New York City, NY. At the time of his death, he resided in Brooklyn, NY, and worked as a “traveling agent for Napier & Co., New York dealer in gentlemen’s [house] furnishing goods.”[8] Survivors recalled that he was “escorted to the boat by several young gentlemen with whom he had become acquainted during his stay at the Plankinton House [in Milwaukee],”[9] and after boarding the steamer, “went at once to his room, not feeling well.”[10] He was survived by his mother, Bethia, and brother, Charles. Eerily, a week before his death, the young Gilbert suddenly purchased a life insurance policy with his mother as the beneficiary. Gilbert’s name did not initially appear on the passenger lists published after the sinking, as he had purchased his ticket in advance. A cenotaph inscription for Gilbert was later added to his parents’ gravestone at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY.

~ Richard H. Lippincott (aged 27) ~
Richard H. Lippincott was born c. 1843 in New York. He resided in Milwaukee, WI, “on the corner of Martin and Van Buren streets,”[11] and “had at one time been a proprietor of the Russell House.”[12] At the time of his death, he was employed as a “traveling agent for Demon & Co.”[13] However, the exact spelling of his final employer appears to be in dispute, ranging from Demon to Demor to Damon. Survivors last saw him jump overboard in the final stages of the sinking. He was survived by his wife, Maria, and said to have been “cherished in a very large circle of acquaintance”[14] who would remember him “for his many excellent traits of character.”[15]

~ Jason E. Mathewson (aged 53) ~
Jason E. Matthewson was born c. 1819 in Chenango County, NY. For much of his life, he resided in New Berlin, NY, and worked as a farmer. Matthewson also served as Lieutenant Colonel of the 103rd Infantry Regiment, New York National Guard, from 1864 to 1867, and was elected Sheriff of Chenango County from 1867 to 1870. After failing to be reelected, Matthewson relocated to Mount Pleasant, IA, where he was remembered as an active member of the local Masonic Lodge and as “a citizen of uncommon qualities… [for his] upright, provident, scrupulous conduct… and his unvarying courtesy toward all.”[16] While he was quickly named among those lost in the sinking, his surname was spelled incorrectly as “Matheson”[17] or “Mathason.”[18] A cenotaph was erected for Matthewson at his family plot in Riverside Cemetery, South New Berlin, NY. He was survived by his wife, Mary; daughter, Alice; sons, Clarence and Jewett; mother, Mariah; sister, Henrietta; and brother, William.

~ Whitman Smith (aged 45) ~
Whitman Smith was born on 2 July 1827 in Henderson, NY. A longtime resident of Farmington, WI, he relocated to Watertown, WI, in 1868, where he purchased two hundred acres of land and became known as an “intelligent and successful farmer, and had the respect and esteem of all who knew him.”[19] He was traveling aboard the Lac La Belle with his wife and two sons, intending to visit his daughter in Traverse City, MI. As the steamship began taking on water, Smith is said to have been “calm and cool under the circumstances”[20] and assisted the crew with operating the pumps and lowering the lifeboats. Smith’s wife and sons recalled that they last saw him on deck, helping to lower the lifeboats they occupied, with other survivors stating that he was last seen on the hurricane deck shortly before the ship went under. His body was recovered on 17 November 1872 at Pentwater, MI, and described as “about forty years of age, five feet ten inches in height, thick set, weighing from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty pounds, black hair and whiskers tinged with gray. He was dressed in dark brown pantaloons and vest - no coat - with checkered hickory undershirt, white shirt, and leather gaiters. Nothing was found upon his person except a new, black handled, three-bladed knife, a lead pencil, and a piece of white metal watch chain, with bar attached, which had apparently been worn but a short time.”[21] Smith was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown, WI, and was survived by his wife, Sarah; sons, Manford and Elbert; and daughter, Ida.

~ Henry Sparks (aged 42) ~
Henry Sparks was born c. 1830 in Charleston, SC. Although born into slavery, he appears to have fled northward and gained his freedom around 1860. At the time of his death, Sparks resided at 82 Fifth Street in Milwaukee, WI, and was known to have worked as a cook at the Russell House for several years. Sparks appears to be the passenger described by some newspapers as an unidentified cook who was going to work “aboard the schooner Toledo”[22] in Grand Haven, MI. Other papers conflated or misidentified him as Henry Adams, Lac La Belle’s Second Cook. Sparks’ body was recovered on 16 November 1872 at Little Sable Point, MI. He was described as African-American, “about five feet, two inches [in height]. He had a broad, heavy silver ring on the little finger of the right hand, with initials marked on it, but too much worn to enable one to tell what they were. There was found in the side pocket of his coat two letters dated, ‘Milwaukee, October 13, 1872.’ One was a letter of recommendation as a first-class cook from H. Hafemaster to F. Kaeifer… The other letter was from a person signing her name as Emma Sprague. No valuables were found upon his body.”[23] While his burial location is unknown, it is presumed that Sparks was interred in Pentwater, MI. He was survived by his wife, Margaret.

~ William H. H. Straight (aged 27) ~
William H. H. Straight was born on 10 March 1845 in New York. At the time of his death, he worked as a farmer and resided in LeMars, IA, although the Iowa Daily State Register later wrote that “‘W. H. Straight’ of LeMars… said to have been a victim of the Lac La Belle steamship disaster, is unknown at his reported home.”[24] Regardless, Straight appears to have been on his way to visit his family in Vermontville, MI. He was not included on the published passenger list, likely purchasing his ticket in advance. His body was recovered on 25 November 1872 at Pentwater, MI, and was found to be carrying “a number of memorandas... [including] the card of a business house at LeMars, Iowa, and a letter from [his father] Rev. J. H. Straight.”[25] He was also carrying “a picture of a young lady wrapped in a handbill… [and] his pocketbook had apparently been opened and contained twenty cents in money.”[26] Newspapers wrote that Straight “was buried in the village cemetery”[27] in Pentwater, MI.

~P. Wyener (aged 19) ~
P. Wyener was born c. 1853. He lived on Fourth Street in Milwaukee, WI, and was employed as a cigar maker by Ruembeli & Hoya of 294 West Water Street, although he was also described as “a traveling agent.”[28] He booked passage aboard the Lac La Belle, as “he was going to Grand Haven to start in business.”[29] Survivors recalled last seeing Wyener “on the promenade deck, in the bow of the boat”[30] late in the sinking, whereas others stated he was “last seen standing on the upper deck, and when the upper works parted at the smokestacks, [he] slipped down into the dark, boiling water.”[31] He was survived by his parents. The specifics of his full name are unclear, with S. and P. being interchangeably listed as his first initial and his surname variously spelled as Wyener, Weyemer, Wiener, Wagener, and others. The name listed here is the one most frequently printed by Milwaukee newspapers.

~ Unidentified Male Passenger ~
His name and any other details about his identity are unknown. He was “working his passage”[32] aboard the Lac La Belle but is not considered an official member of the crew.

Notes:
[1] Brendon Baillod, “Pioneer Wreckhunter Finds Lake Michigan Passenger Steamer Lost for 150 Years,” Shipwreck World, Feb. 13, 2026, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.shipwreckworld.com/.../pioneer-wreckhunter...\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shipwreckworld.com%2Farticles%2Fpioneer-wreckhunter-finds-lake-michigan-passenger-steamer-lost-for-130-years%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5_FnRbPTYCq7lg4Lro8ck49ZEpTCq0JR3sqYFAcb4Q0kIPEIOjWIsu9NjWlg_aem_brJywlhMhPeJBV41SN3M1w&h=AT6acNvVY6ZK2IST3mPQsTx-nqy-IlWhD6eTeOxky0vAA52k51f7zx4YFwdEEhKpEXBWNQA53kynuldm4xHeOkIlkDFekFqY33y3ti3RF1FxmtQt7nVBNAXCyB_SPlnIfrfd_DvU-w_HbO2-&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[2] “Loss of the Propeller Lac La Belle of the Engleman Line: She Founders and Goes Down Off Racine,” The Manitowoc Tribune, Oct. 17, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-manitowoc.../191980812/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-manitowoc-tribune%2F191980812%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5uayJVycAWkgMUNRLrr2GF4cBwYeIHTLMdeJXD5nF4CwfXN1w_-v_cN8vaaQ_aem_WSxbXr7D8pkTlSjDsS72lQ&h=AT4JbimFfWOK9p17FkaKwQ_BNsoLini5ID000h1R7rThSQeJca3yjnjHNcD7Aqusgks7y1vILvRvfEYf34MfAp4tlgDTGbPNpyJqLzVK-zncZ8xO7Xx7S159RNe7Yw4BFuP7K-xF-5AEDDwi&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[3] “General News Summary,” The Representative, Oct. 25, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-representative/192245035/\](https://www.newspapers.com/.../the.../192245035/...).
[4] “A Bedford Citizen Lost on the Lac La Belle.”
[5] “From the Ill-Fated Lac La Belle,” Grand Rapids Eagle, Nov. 26, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../grand-rapids-eagle/191871573/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fgrand-rapids-eagle%2F191871573%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6BD8-BajYYHJyhml7rxpXoMDlhLs36uMV6alQoz8vEDJlg7llb_rewsYMt7Q_aem_BKrO8cVEcJYxOtft6z7p6g&h=AT6F9lR7iniKSqBXo1zdDUM-hqZQ_c2FkgNSZXxH1_W9cX1xyLUNctrQI72wZPRx6ALqvFI31DJPuNSI0d8Sy4xm3H7HkIa_SzAku0-_qj9Lsl46cKyq6cYaRfMucOLVo1SCHds9qK2FymnN&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[6] “The Lac La Belle: Finding of Bodies from the Wreck Near Pentwater - The Names, Descriptions, Etc.,” Chicago Tribune, Nov. 28, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/art.../chicago-tribune/191871134/\](https://www.newspapers.com/.../chicago-tribune/191871134/...).
[7] “A Bedford Citizen Lost on the Lac La Belle,” The Cleveland Leader, Oct. 21, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-cleveland.../191868946/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-cleveland-leader%2F191868946%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5-pOkmo0WZkn02nVVNAnFAZnBmXNpgR0EY_wwpvdI4Ah3fDan-PCU5OM5-xQ_aem_H6bGYIEtZlqwzzWSChq_Fw&h=AT5rytIsnXklc34MltJkQdC9zCeyDOzOAIHD7cP3MJOL4EBeDsCtHyCYgnqVqgw6IB8uZW6rAzd-TyRuogr4dp48aB03CqhDa88Ne-aed2IOc4KCI6ROfklYRApEyzTirExVLNBSf9QX2DdD&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[8] “The Lac La Belle,” Janesville Weekly Gazette, Oct. 18, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../janesville.../191794660/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fjanesville-weekly-gazette%2F191794660%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5jLsB9558az81eHmy34crZKqJ411ho5jCm9WI7Fe8nCkwCRRNN2DuWefs7AA_aem_DRzBCYe5MfPYUGKqO0n64w&h=AT6Fxc_L4RTF5otX6yT-2hyMPtDgagXxI9NYXc6HBiGmsE5Yg3-1xL4oZ4Q2hiD9L1D0mhsDgfAKnBKKv9y2sszoJ_UL74xogqL7W4m1xozB7Zj-9m8R-mmmHsD5kTXwXOb0ya9AAfWCDrzQ&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[9] “The Lac La Belle: Complete List of Passengers and Crew - Nine Lives Lost,” The Manitowoc Pilot, Oct. 24, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-manitowoc.../191871700/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-manitowoc-pilot%2F191871700%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5_FnRbPTYCq7lg4Lro8ck49ZEpTCq0JR3sqYFAcb4Q0kIPEIOjWIsu9NjWlg_aem_brJywlhMhPeJBV41SN3M1w&h=AT6lDcVF-HuvwIHyEBy4y1azecMNfBJRfjB6qyGzouM0YAknhu0JvQOvuu9zpUHv9AWqef8FNaqFotWCDDeSwsJX882-ALjxty29bqT1KKKyn8Y51iRX5aRQfPW-sao6zc_lr3aLDxPOimMT&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[10] “The Lac La Belle: Supposed to be Lost,” The Daily Milwaukee News, Oct. 17, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-daily.../191717010/\](https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-daily.../191717010/...).
[11] “The Lake Tragedy: Further Particulars of the Wreck of the Steamer Lac La Belle,” Chicago Weekly Post, Oct. 24, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../chicago-weekly.../191923141/\](https://www.newspapers.com/.../chicago.../191923141/...).
[12] “The Lake Tragedy: Further Particulars of the Wreck of the Steamer Lac La Belle.”
[13] “The Lac La Belle: Further Particulars of the Lake Michigan Disaster,” Portland Press Herald, Oct. 16, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../portland-press.../191716792/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fportland-press-herald%2F191716792%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5uayJVycAWkgMUNRLrr2GF4cBwYeIHTLMdeJXD5nF4CwfXN1w_-v_cN8vaaQ_aem_WSxbXr7D8pkTlSjDsS72lQ&h=AT7IyXK46_xXtXhA3UkOk4aVvc-jihRqJTxTrWtgZos69goOl_t1gZvi2LWMSHzrex8QtjukH86vpwDEW5MQjqem0LMalVcosbqLY2hKAPxNFSEKZU33raUzDRca35DVo1j9UJt-Qks5IQme&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[14] “Marine Intelligence: The Victims,” The Inter Ocean, Oct. 17, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/art.../the-inter-ocean/191923283/\](https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-inter-ocean/191923283/...).
[15] “Marine Intelligence: The Victims.”
[16] “Vital Records, Chenango County, NY, December 1872,” Local History Notes, Dec. 4, 2022, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://smdlocalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/.../vital...\](https://smdlocalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/.../vital...).
[17] “Wreck of the Steamer Lac La Belle, off Racine, Monday Morning,” Wisconsin State Journal, Oct. 16, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../wisconsin-state.../191873265/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fwisconsin-state-journal%2F191873265%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6BD8-BajYYHJyhml7rxpXoMDlhLs36uMV6alQoz8vEDJlg7llb_rewsYMt7Q_aem_BKrO8cVEcJYxOtft6z7p6g&h=AT5z-qA5Ot7ja9gbCxwWWcMMBx9DexCiHYrQV7L7fp9urPORzKC27HORT4u3m36EvdQjfYpZ1px9YstfZzyTAH7eMMviHmZP6rH2E8BChOPqVeBVrbv2mf79hD6HBc9BjtwbjtoqrZS3J2N4&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[18] “The Lac La Belle: Complete List of Passengers and Crew - Nine Lives Lost.”
[19] “Death of Whitman Smith,” The Watertown News, Oct. 23, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 1872, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-watertown-news/191717488/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-watertown-news%2F191717488%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4X6Fm4qexABB7Yay4xYyu2HI6MisJfTBfYeRNPGviJPauUrYYPhT6yXkz8pA_aem_a8nPZhqVJQMfJj7nlKMVEQ&h=AT5XPt6aixISL1wLm_E5Ijyx_M3BISb0CuwIqKNeP7IEzxBPU-NuAtixNGUS9pnSOszFBZbU7zz_2ZxVweg7nSKGT99IjTdOWJij7t5xgLYW6Jptsc_vySkuuWQp4PkzlVXHVfKu1DBAwZOH&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[20] “Death of Whitman Smith.”
[21] “Body Found,” The Watertown News, Nov. 27, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-watertown-news/191717561/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-watertown-news%2F191717561%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5jLsB9558az81eHmy34crZKqJ411ho5jCm9WI7Fe8nCkwCRRNN2DuWefs7AA_aem_DRzBCYe5MfPYUGKqO0n64w&h=AT6mDHiI59P73qLGTKP2th0uWWFm3Lph1G-EDGdbzUpFMV9on7copHzyjzylA5KfopE0GSuPqjuHkoCzdumi1mOGHvHo3CiHyQ94hJz1EIftWZTV3bpj1zA3B7IRC4jdNcsc5UX4VVXY_p1J&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[22] “The Steamer Lac La Belle – The Five Boats Heard From – List of the Passengers – A Number Drowned,” The Buffalo Daily Republic, Oct. 16, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-buffalo.../191715040/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-buffalo-daily-republic%2F191715040%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5-pOkmo0WZkn02nVVNAnFAZnBmXNpgR0EY_wwpvdI4Ah3fDan-PCU5OM5-xQ_aem_H6bGYIEtZlqwzzWSChq_Fw&h=AT6bhAQkaXw4V2_Hlx1yl7TX81ddKhs1VNlAO5yVMtmn3DRKWHihH3VUHZ5iYOccVR45LWxMxEQnSAUGtDnqLz1bpwkeyFsmz0LFBUw4zwo6mShi3rdI7wcDa1iO08BEmUsa8E-ZXAH71r3u&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[23] “From the Ill-Fated Lac La Belle.”
[24] “Iowa Items,” The Iowa Daily State Register, Dec. 4, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.genealogybank.com/.../AC012105131740390508717...\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.genealogybank.com%2Fnbshare%2FAC01210513174039050871772265766%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR40Y2Wjhw6AOVfjRDmbPoi612iBToU3-GMdr6WzxTwFHSLblueiHWBtI6jfIA_aem_IXzUQ9YxAhbxJ1stFbZ0SA&h=AT7UK5ubeNg34wVW1K501L0oH3K35Z7zXVamhUBIG-2lgstCup5Ex6WIHqkcen4gHxsx5L52U88rzjvLODyap6sy7yVmjbScbdT_3sphDQHfkumwEFuwtMHyCfBUnNVRUTNkY8HPBnedfDnk&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[25] “The Lac La Belle: Finding of Bodies from the Wreck Near Pentwater - The Names, Descriptions, Etc.”
[26] “From the Ill-Fated Lac La Belle.”
[27] “From the Ill-Fated Lac La Belle.”
[28] “The Lake Michigan Disaster,” The Times-Union, Oct. 16, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/art.../the-times-union/191716540/\](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-times-union%2F191716540%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSzJOelVqRktHWWFOR3I5U3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4X6Fm4qexABB7Yay4xYyu2HI6MisJfTBfYeRNPGviJPauUrYYPhT6yXkz8pA_aem_a8nPZhqVJQMfJj7nlKMVEQ&h=AT5JGyDvkRRMi1qzx44SvHsASvUCzEzjLtwDlAMSS_tOD8dXzXeruknrFqMAg6jd7PhnSAqiWTJ4QbEgqWxufAb0_7RtM45uqJhBkqlwjAxkYhZUgrjS6u7tIsnfHBuBFzOGH8zwF05RcVfj&__tn__=-UK-R&c\[0\]=AT4IAJhNr9_iCl4fTN1Ox45zXzd1w5hHlsHojKLmdev7uo2Do-3jF4bJjzATlw5DAwAz3L67uZlZjaXe7VX-0NC9fKaS0vLDvak-ee5JHV0tgI0hoWfo3kZBF-JdJuUgbAJKQW2atSao-c2PDVK8drMx8wwoFkdc-EF6QHETo8HnjOve_Q).
[29] “The Lake Tragedy: Further Particulars of the Wreck of the Steamer Lac la Belle.”
[30] “Loss of the Propeller Lac La Belle of the Engleman Line: She Founders and Goes Down Off Racine.”
[31] “Marine Intelligence: The Victims.”
[32] “From Wisconsin,” The Madison Courier, Oct. 18, 1872, accessed Mar. 4, 2026, [https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-madison.../191794296/\](https://www.newspapers.com/.../the-madison.../191794296/...).

Bibliography will be supplied upon request.

Interior dive footage here!

72 years ago, on October 14th, 1954, the MS Prins Willem V left Milwaukee Harbor on its way to Sarnia, Ontario. Less than an hour later, and only 1.7 miles east of the breakwater, she collided with the Sinclair XII - a barge under tow with Sinclair Chicago in the lead. Within 90 minutes, Prins Willem capsized to starboard before sinking in 90 feet of water, just 3 miles away from Milwaukee. Thankfully, nobody was killed in the sinking. Today, she's remarkably intact, making her a popular dive site, and in my case, a fantastic location to test the ROV's my team and I use in an environment where we can have a diver bail us out if things go pear shaped. Last month, we livestreamed an interior survey of the wreck. In honor of her 72nd year under Lake Michigan, here's that survey!

I recently had an argument with some chap online who seemed convinced that the MV derbyshire was sunk by the design error near her stern. I was under the impression that she was sunk by progressive flooding near her bow. Is this something that is still debated or what?

(side note: there is SO MUCH AI SLOP ABOUT THIS WRECK IN PARTICULAR. It is so hard to find images of the wreck)

Could it be the wreck of the wooden boat from 2018? Has that wreck been located?

Ms world discoverer: 9°01′23.17″S 160°07′22.91″E

Costa Concordia : 42°21'56.97"N 10°55'16.75"E

MV Primrose: 11°35'36.48"N 92°12'45.56"E

MS Mediterranean Sky: 38°01'28.82"N 23°29'22.48"E

Complete dive footage available here

I was out on the Milwaukee with a team of 10 people in September to conduct a site survey. We spent two days on the wreck, and we livestreamed the entire second day. The stream replay has been up since, it's about 3 and a half hours long and covers the vast majority of the main wreck. We started on the starboard side of the bow, worked our way aft to the stern, worked our way up to the bow on the port side, and then came back aft to take a closer look at a couple of things we'd spotted earlier. At the end of the stream, we did a flyover of the whole wreck to see it from above, and then we finished the day by reading off the names of the victims and giving a brief eulogy. Seems like the Milwaukee has been quite popular in here recently, figured I'd put up a link!

The rail road car wheel set that is pinned under the starboard prop shaft is a favorite spot of mine to visit on this wreck. 125' deep. The 12' diameter props are also photogenic.

Ive been looking into the unresolved mysteries of both for the better half of a decade since my childhood and recently I've come to two very stark conclusions.

Conclusion one is that Amelia's plane likely has a 98% that it no longer exists as a fundamentally intact wreckage whether it landed in open ocean or landed on a reef the 38ft Lockheed Electra wouldve been ripped to shreds and or buried by a near century of sediment. At depths of 17,00ft. TIGHAR even said this when they did an expedition.

Conclusion two, USS Cyclops likely capsized off the coaat of NC in a 40mph gale on march 10th 1918, I came to this conclusion from "bottom up reasoning" not top down reasoning that Triangle sleuths like to use, If it left Barbados on march 4th 1918 and did a speed of roughly 10 knots due to a disabled engine a small incremental boost of 2 to 3 knots an hour couldve pushed it to 240nm to 260nm a day, after 6 days at sea thats roughly at the tip of NC in a severe gale in a top heavy collier full of unstable ore and a single working engine that could fail and or throw a rod at any second, once the engine or steering gear failed it wouldve fell into a wave trough and rolled and or snapped with little time to send an S.O.S.

I used to believe the Dean Hawes wreck was creditable but was able to rule it out due to possible nitrogen narcosis, 1960s diving helmet tunnel vision, confirmation bias and the sheer lack of sonar scans by the Navy, Numa and Clive Cussler, I came to the conclusion after some arguments on here before I apologize in advance, but a 542ft wreck in two sections with massive collier gear simply can't hide from sonar in shallow waters, so therefore its likely off the contential shelf. I even went as far as to talk to Marvin Barrish about its potential and it was unfortunately ruled out as a possibility. When talking over a call we also came to the conclusion that TV shows and Historians only bother searching the Bahamas or Florida instead of further north, it was said that every time he suggested searching NC or Virginia it got shot down immediately because it would shatter the money generating Bermuda Triangle mystery.

Though I am willing to bet Cyclops is off NC in pretty deep waters thats a ground Ill defend, likely 3000 to 14,000ft because in order to get to Baltimore you have to cross NC inevitably you dont simply avoid the Graveyard of the Atlantic, it wouldve been blown east out into the deep end and Due to either radio silence or catastrophic failure an S.O.S likely never had time to be sent and all debris was sucked down or washed away by the gulf stream because the navy never bothered to search untill a week after it was due because nobody knew it had sunk yet . And a ship doesn't just sit idled at sea so it wouldve been at sea moving along for 6 days by the time the storm hit, People like to down play the speed just to fuel the Bermuda Triangle mythos. "Oh well its just too slow therefore its gotta be in the triangle area" what people dont take into consideration is that worley wouldve taken the fastest Rhumb line to Baltimore, hes not going to hug the Puerto Rico trench area in a crippled and overloaded collier and possibly spend 4 more days at sea following the curvature of the eastern seaboard, because if I was an overly cautious captain I damn sure wouldn't. I would want to get my ship repaired and my men home after being at sea for a month or more bathing in coal dust, red lead grease and fighting Scurvy .

And another thing people dispute is the march 13th deadline, that was simply an estimate made by worley and the Navy not definite, the trip from NC to Baltimore alone takes 3 days, because you have to line up with the bay and be tugged in or assisted by another guide boat because theyd run the risk of dragginga 542ft colluer into a sandbar or shoal and then after you enter the bad its a whole 180 miles up the winding bay to Baltimore.

So that leads me to my next point, why not search for a "Holy grail" 542ft Collier and solve on of the biggest mysteries in naval history for 306 families which is as equally a discovery of a lifetime, which keep in mind would be the next Titanic level discovery for naval archeology. Over spending millions on something that without a doubt likely has a high chance it no longer exists? Because it doesn't make sense NC is literally a part of the US, you dont have to travel for weeks out into the Pacific, its merely a day or two off shore and can be scanned by sonar you find pontential twin screw industral targets and rule them out, I think by far the only issue with Cyclops is its likely logged as an "unidentified craft" or "merchant vessel ww2" off of NC as one of a few hundred never positively identified targets. But even then could be narrowed down due to unique design characteristics and that it likely broke in half and left a debris field. As a young Naval Historian learning about ships its very frustrating.

these images are from a 2021 scan and then a 2025 scan

1. she seems to be falling apart pretty fast for a great lakes wreck, is there a reason for that?
2. a lot of my knowledge on this ship comes from an episode of deep sea detectives, first of all, they claim that a rail car busted through her sea gate during the sinking and that is why it is bent that way, but it looks more like it was just sagging from age (to the point where it fell off later)
3. they also claim that she is sitting on a rail car, but I cannot see clearly enough to confirm of deny that.
4. is there a reason her rudder is jammed to port? was she trying to turn or is that just because she was sinking.
5. is it still possible to enter the engine room now that she is collapsing or is access blocked by debris.
6. did she go down stern first? her bow seems to be resting above the silt, but so does her stern, so i cannot tell properly