GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Shipwreck hunters on the other side of Lake Michigan have found a long-lost tugboat that went down nearly 130 years ago.
The Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association has announced it has located the John Evenson , a 54-foot tugboat that sunk in June 1895 while assisting a steamer entering Sturgeon Bay.
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According to the WUAA, the ship’s captain says the Evenson ran across the bow of the I. Watson Stephenson, the much larger ship that they were helping. The Evenson capsized immediately after the collision. Four of the Evenson’s five crewmen were rescued by the Stephenson, but the boat’s fireman, who was working below deck, went down with the ship.
Searches for the remnants of the Evenson started in the 1980s but were unsuccessful. Historians Brendon Baillod and Bob Jacek recently turned their attention to the Evenson and started poring over historical records and news reports to look for clues.