From the June 19th Chicago Tribune "Cheers rise as ship sinks" by Duan Eldeib.
They pumped 30,000 gallons of water into it and after 3 hours, the M/V Buccaneer sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan in 70 feet of water about ten miles off Burnham Harbor.
It's loss is a boom for Chicago area divers as there are only eleven known shipwrecks off the city and most of those not intact. It also provides an artificial reef for fish.
The ship is 98-feet long and served in World War II although as of yet I haven't found any information about what it did. Perhaps it was on anti-submarine duty. Until recently, it was a cruise ship offering tours, and drinking on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.
It was sold at auction three years ago. The total cost for the purchase of the ship and turning it into a dive site came to $20,000 most coming from donations. Lots of approval and many permits were needed from agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Coast Guard and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
I found no information about its construction or launch.
Interesting Story and a Good One for the Divers. --Cooter
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