In November 1886, she sank due to bad weather in Lake Superior, off Long Island in Chequamegon Bay.

[4] On November 15, 1886, Lucerne was loaded with 1,200 tons of iron ore at her home port, Ashland, Wisconsin.

[5] William Mack, part owner of Lucerne, became worried when the ship never arrived back at Ashland.

Upon closer inspection, they saw three of the ship's crew members there, frozen solid in three inches (76 mm) of ice.

Apparently they had climbed to the top of the masts to escape the freezing waters of Lake Superior and had perished there while waiting to be rescued.