''L.R. Doty'' was a Great Lakes

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

launched in May 1893 at

West Bay City West Bay City was a city in Bay County the U.S. state of Michigan. The City was formed from the communities of Banks, Salzburg, and Wenona. The city existed from 1877 to 1905 when it was merged with Bay City, Michigan. History Bangor/Banks ...

, Michigan. She was last seen afloat October 25, 1898 north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during a violent storm on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, with winds reaching . The ship was witnessed foundering at the stern by a passenger of the four-masted

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

'' Olive Jeanette'' which was being towed by the ''Doty'' until the tow line broke from the force of the storm. Seventeen crew members died. On June 25, 2010, 112 years after her loss, divers found the ''Doty'' below the surface of Lake Michigan with its cargo of corn still intact. The first divers to reach and film the Doty were Tracy Xelowski, John Scoles and John Janzen. Coincidentally, seven years later on September 30, 1905, the ''L.R. Doty'' sister ship the '' Iosco'' also sank while towing the ''Olive Jeanette''. However, on this occasion both vessels were lost to the waters of Lake Superior.Maritime History of the Great Lakes website retrieved November 26, 2016
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External links

* * 1893 ships Ships built in Bay City, Michigan Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan Shipwrecks of the Wisconsin coast Steamships of the United States Merchant ships of the United States Maritime incidents in 1898 Great Lakes freighters Wreck diving sites {{Merchantship-stub