The ''Louisiana'' was a steamboat that sank in Lake Michigan off the coast of

Washington, Door County, Wisconsin Washington Island is a town in northern Door County, Wisconsin, United States, with a population of 708 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Detroit Harbor and Washington are located in the town. The town of Washington Island is ...

, United States, during the

Great Lakes Storm of 1913 The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (historically referred to as the "Big Blow", the "Freshwater Fury", and the "White Hurricane") was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin in the Midwestern United States and ...

. In 1992 the shipwreck site was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

The ''Louisiana'' was constructed in

Marine City, Michigan Marine City is a city in St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the west bank of the St. Clair River, it is one of the cities in the River District north of Detroit and south of Lake Huron. In the late 19th century, it was a m ...

in 1887, while her engine was built at the Dry Dock Complex in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. On November 2, 1913, the Louisiana departed from Lorain, Ohio to deliver a load of coal to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. After completing her stop in Milwaukee, the ''Louisiana'' made way for

Escanaba, Michigan Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,616 at the 2010 census, making it the third-largest city ...

to pick up a load of iron ore. In the early morning hours of November 8, the ship passed through

Porte des Morts Porte des Morts, also known as Porte des Mortes, the Door of Death, and Death's Door is a strait linking Lake Michigan and Green Bay between the northern tip of the Door Peninsula and the southernmost of the Potawatomi Islands. At its narrowe ...

. Upon reaching the strait, she was greeted by a severe snowstorm. The captain attempted to take refuge at Washington Island in

Door County, Wisconsin Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. The dangero ...

, 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