On September 1, 1905, Sevona left Allouez, Wisconsin, bound for Erie, Pennsylvania, with a cargo of iron ore and a crew of twenty men and four women.

Crew members on the bow section, separated from the lifeboats, were forced to construct a raft out of hatch covers and doors.

In 1909, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, who were concerned about navigation hazards posed by the wreck of Sevona, blew it up with dynamite.

[7] Several parts of the ship were recovered and brought to shore following the explosion, but what was left became a popular site for scuba diving.

[9] Sam Fifield, a former Lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, had a summer resort on Sand Island, and salvaged some of the wreckage of Sevona.