Eerie new images reveal the sunken wreck of a party boat where guests of famous gangster Al Capone enjoyed booze-fuelled celebrations during 1920s prohibition.
The former lumber barge, which was said to be cursed with bad luck, was called Keuka. Sold in 1928 it was soon transformed into a floating dance hall complete with live music and bar.
And the man who kept the party boat stocked with booze in the middle of the US prohibition era? None other than the notorious gangster Capone, according to local lore.
But bad luck followed the Keuka – her manager was shot by a drunken patron, and the vessel mysteriously sank in August 1932.
Now haunting new images have revealed the once-glamorous boat at rest in its watery grave.
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The the Keuka began life as a lumber barge before being reborn as a floating speakeasy in the 1920s (Credit: Pen News)The boat was photographed at the bottom of Lake Charlevoix, Michigan, by Chris Roxburgh during a visit with his dive partner Lee Rosenberg.
He said: “My belief and local lore is that Capone and his men supplied this casino ship during its time of operation in the prohibition era, from 1929 to 1932.
“Capone had a house near Charlevoix and people claim to have seen him back in those years. He had several ‘hide out houses in northern Michigan’ – an easy drive up from Chicago.
Haunting images revealthe once-glamorous boat in its watery grave (Credit: Chris Roxburgh/Pen News)“The rumour is that, after the manager of the ship was shot on board, it was scuttled by a local church group that was tired of the devil’s parties, booze, music, drinks and women.”
He continued: “When I dive this wreck, I imagine what it was like back in 1929 when the parties and gambling were going strong, and the booze was flowing like a river.
“Down inside, the ship is long open areas, as the ship is 200 feet long and over two stories tall.
Famous mobster Al Capone was said to be the man who kept the liquor flowing on the boat (Credit: Pen News)“The limelight shines through the port holes casting shadows that move as we make our way through the party barge.
“The wreck is intact and upright with good lighting and very clear water. It eerily lurks under the surface with many stories to tell.”
The ship’s reputation as a speakeasy was well established.
The boat once hosted glamourous partygoers, now the only visitors are fish (Credit: Chris Roxburgh/Pen News)It was “one of the places where everyone knew you could get a drink” during prohibition, reports the Northern Express, a Michigan newspaper.
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And from the middle of Lake Charlevoix, she had a vantage point over every approach, preventing any surprises from the police.
“I would imagine somebody was getting paid off – everyone could hear and see the parties from shore,” said Mr Roxburgh.
The massive barge was rumoured to have bad luck (Credit: Chris Roxburgh/Pen News)But it was far from smooth sailing for the Keuka.
She was old and in such disrepair that she reportedly had to be pumped out daily, with a man hired for the job rumoured to have been paid in whiskey.
Then, on New Year’s Day 1931, a story broke that sealed her fate.
Diver Chris Roxburgh and his dive partner Lee Rosenberg snapped the mysterious wreck (Credit: Chris Roxburgh/Pen News)Ed Latham, the barge’s manager, had been shot by a drunken customer, said The Boyne Citizen, a newspaper based in Boyne City, on the lake’s southeastern shore.
The fate of the shooter and his victim is unclear, but it reportedly prompted Captain J.H. Gallagher to shut up shop.
The next year, the Keuka sank.
The massive barge lies broken at the bottom of the lake (Credit: Chris Roxburgh/Pen News)One contemporary account of the sinking quoted by the Northern Express could find no explanation for how it happened.
It said: “The Keuka was riding safely Saturday with no evidence that a few hours later would find her in the bottom of the lake.
“Nevertheless, something happened, and the boat went down.
Divers explore the wreck (Credit: Chris Roxburgh/Pen News)“There was some cause for the changed conditions, but at this time the reason is indefinite and a subject of conjecture on the part of the public.”
Today the Keuka lies at a depth of 50ft, a short distance from the city of Charlevoix.
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