L.R. Doty was aGreat Lakessteamship launched in May 1893 atWest Bay City,Michigan. It was last seen afloat October 25, 1898 north ofMilwaukee,Wisconsin, during a violent storm onLake Michigan, with winds reaching 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). The ship was witnessed foundering at the stern by a passenger of the four-mastedschoonerOlive Jeanette which was being towed by theDoty until the tow line broke from the force of the storm. Seventeen crew members died.[2]
On June 25, 2010, 112 years after her loss, divers found theDoty 300 feet (91 m) 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.[2][3][4]
Coincidentally, seven years later on September 30, 1905, theL.R. Doty's sister ship theIosco also sank while towing theOlive Jeanette. However, on this occasion both vessels were lost to the waters of Lake Superior.[5]
Olive Jeanette (in 1890)The Storm in theMilwaukee Sentinel on October 26, 1898
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United States
