AH-WR-1684

Francis IV

Motor Yacht · Lost 1927 · Door County & Lake Michigan

A Toronto-built motor yacht exploded on Green Bay in 1927; two of the five people aboard survived.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in Toronto in 1922, Francis IV belonged to Carl W. Johnson and was associated with the Chicago Yacht Club. She finished first in the inaugural Chicago-to-Sturgeon Bay powerboat race in summer 1926. After taking on 350 gallons of gasoline at Sturgeon Bay the previous day, she departed Horseshoe Bay northbound on August 6, 1927. An explosion and fire sank her in about 40 feet of water within two minutes of a distress signal; three people died and Margo rescued two.

Vessel

Built: 1922
Registry: US registry no. 225830
Builder: Not established
Yard: Toronto, Ontario
Material: Wood
Length: 63.5 ft
Beam: 13 ft
Tonnage: 32 gross tons
Propulsion: Gasoline engine, screw
Owners: Carl W. Johnson

Loss

Date: August 6, 1927
Cause: Fire
Location: About four miles out from Horseshoe Bay, Green Bay
Water: Green Bay (Lake Michigan)
Voyage: Horseshoe Bay, Door County → Georgian Bay (annual cruise)
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 5
Lives lost: 3
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 40 ft
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 45.15° N 87.32° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Egg Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin
Region: Door County & Lake Michigan

Converted directly from the inventory’s published degrees and decimal minutes; no authoritative coordinate survey was reviewed. Map legend alone does not establish verification.