The ''Louisiana'' was a
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
that sank in
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 ...
off the coast of
Washington, Door County, Wisconsin, United States, during the
Great Lakes Storm of 1913. In 1992 the shipwreck site was added to the
National Register of Historic Places.
History
The ''Louisiana'' was constructed in
Marine City, Michigan in 1887, while her engine was built at the
Dry Dock Complex in
Detroit,
Michigan.
On November 2, 1913, the Louisiana departed from
Lorain, Ohio
Lorain () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 65 ...
to deliver a load of coal to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After completing her stop in Milwaukee, the ''Louisiana'' made way for
Escanaba, Michigan to pick up a load of iron ore. In the early morning hours of November 8, the ship passed through
Porte des Morts. Upon reaching the strait, she was greeted by a severe snowstorm. The captain attempted to take refuge at
Washington Island in
Door County, Wisconsin, but the heavy seas and howling wind proved too strong for the ship's anchors to hold her in place, and she was run aground.
Despite the situation on board the ''Louisiana'', the crew opted to remain aboard the vessel rather than taking the one small lifeboat they had out to the raging seas. However, a fire broke out in the cargo hold later in the morning and the crew members were left with no choice. A rescue ship had been deployed from
Plum Island, but the breaking waves were too powerful for the ship to be able to reach the crew. In the end, the crew was able to make it to shore.
The ship's boiler, engine, propeller, propeller shaft and rudder were later salvaged. Currently, the site is a popular area for divers and archaeologists. It lies in of water on the southeast side of Washington Harbor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisiana
1887 ships
Door County, Wisconsin
Maritime incidents in 1913
Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan
Shipwrecks of the Wisconsin coast
Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin
National Register of Historic Places in Door County, Wisconsin
Ships sunk with no fatalities
Great Lakes freighters
Ships built in Marine City, Michigan