In May of 1893, the L.R. Doty was launched. At 291 feet long with a steel-reinforced hull, the steamer was one of the last wooden ships built to navigate the Great Lakes. Soon after, it became standard for ships to be built out of steel.
Only 5 years after she first set sail, on October 25th, 1898, the L.R. Doty encountered a fierce storm on Lake Michigan. Ships all over the lake were severely damaged, as well as the Milwaukee breakwall. The L.R. Doty was towing a small schooner, the Olive Jeanette, which survived the storm. The tow line snapped leaving the small schooner at the mercy of the storm. Evidence from the wreck suggests, when the Doty turned to aid the schooner, the rudder chain broke, and it was overtaken by the 30ft waves. The entire crew and cargo were lost to Lake Michigan. Seven years later on September 30, 1905 in Lake Superior, the L.R. Doty's sister ship the Iosco also sank while towing the Olive Jeanette. The Iosco has never been found.
In 2010, 112 years later, the L.R. Doty was found sitting upright and intact, settled down in the clay at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Due to the cold temperatures of Lake Michigan and the depth at which it was found, 310 feet, the ship and the cargo were very well preserved.
