Lac La Belle found: Searchers, Paul Ehorn find wreck of luxury steamer lost in Lake Michigan more than 150 years ago

MADISON,Wis.—SearchershavediscoveredthewreckofaluxurysteamerthatsankinaLakeMichigangaleinthelate19thcentury,completingaquestthatbeganalmost60yearsago. ShipwreckWorld,agroupthatworkstolocateshipwrecksaroundtheglobe,announcedFridaythatateamledbyIllinoisshipwreckhunterPaulEhornfoundtheLacLaBelleabout20miles(32kilometers)offshorebetweenRacineandKenosha,Wisconsin,inOctober2022. EhorntoldTheAssociatedPressinaphoneinterviewonSundaythattheannouncementwasdelayedbecausehisteamwantedtoincludeathree-dimensionalvideomodeloftheshipwithit,butpoorweatherandothercommitmentskepthisdiveteamfromgoingbackdowntothewreckuntillastsummer. Ehorn,80,hasbeensearchingforshipwreckssincehewas15yearsold.Hesaidthathe’sbeentryingtopinpointtheLacLaBelle’slocationsince1965.HeusedacluefromfellowwreckhunterandauthorRossRichardsonin2022tonarrowdownhissearchgridandfoundtheshipusingside-scansonarafterjusttw