Shipwreck eluded Wisconsin searchers for decades — until 5 minutes into recent voyage

For decades, searchers have been on the lookout for the John Evenson, a steam tug that sank in Lake Michigan in 1895.

Wisconsin maritime historians Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck needed just five minutes into a recent voyage to make the long-awaited discovery.

The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association said the historians set out Sept. 13 for a three-day voyage. They didn’t need the full weekend, it turned out.

“The pair had just deployed their remote sensing equipment and were tuning the sonar signals when a huge boiler crawled across the screen only five minutes into what had been planned as three-day search,” the association said in a Sept. 20 Facebook post. “They deployed a remote operated vehicle which immediately descended on the ship’s giant propeller, steam engine and boiler.”

The 54-foot boat, built in 1884 as a harbor and towing tug, was found about 4 miles northeast of Algoma, Wisconsin, officials said. Algoma is about a 30-mile drive northeast from Green Bay.

Its discovery gave a “fascinating look at the steam technology” of its era, as all of the machinery remained present on the tug.

Baillod and Jaeck told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel they were “gobsmacked” by the quick find.

“It was almost like the wreck wanted to be found,” Baillod told the news outlet.

The Evenson tug was just 11 year old when it sank in 1895. Officials said the boat’s captain struck a larger boat, causing his vessel to capsize.

Five crew members were rescued, while the tug’s fireman, who was asleep below deck, drowned, according to the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association.

After a diver surveyed the wreck, an interactive 3D model was created with use of more than 2,000 high-resolution images.

The group said Baillod and Jaeck previously discovered the schooner Trinidad in June 2023 and the schooner Margaret A. Muir this June.

“Baillod and Jaeck use the wrecks as a vehicle for connecting the people of Wisconsin’s port communities with their maritime past, and they work in partnership with community history organizations to preserve and interpret historic underwater sites,” according to the association.

This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 11:23 AM with the headline "Shipwreck eluded Wisconsin searchers for decades — until 5 minutes into recent voyage."