Steamer "SS America" -- Isle Royale Natl Park, MI
N 47° 53.650 W 089° 13.250
16T E 334001 N 5306924
The wreck of the SS America is a popular sight off of Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior.
Waymark Code: WMFPJR
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 11/13/2012
Views: 6
The wreck of the America is well-marked with a buoy, and is a popular sight on the boat trip from Granda Marais MN to Isle Royale's Windigo Point.
The wreck is open for diving, with restrctions. Call or visit the Isle Royale NP website for details.
From Wikipedia:
"The America served as a communications link for the communities of western Lake Superior in the early 20th century. Beginning in 1902, she ran three voyages per week among Duluth, Minnesota, Isle Royale, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, as well as numerous small communities in between. In June 1928, the America ran aground while leaving Washington Harbor, and efforts to salvage her were unsuccessful. The ship can be seen from the surface, with her bow in only two feet of water." [end]
More information on the wreck comes from the newspaper story in a Duluth MN newspaper (found on Wikipedia website):
"STEAMER IS SUNK WHEN IT STRIKES ISLE ROYALE REEF"
"All aboard are Rescued; Few Details of Accident are Given. Duluth, Minn. June 7 (AP) An old passenger steamer, the AMERICA, is lying on the bottom of Lake Superior tonight under 17 fathoms [31 m], of water. Its crew and passengers, about 45 in all, were taken off Isle Royale tonight, where they went when the ship sank this morning." --Houghton Mining Gazette (June 8, 1928)" [end]
More on the sinking of the SS America from Wikipedia:
"On June 6, 1928, the America steamed through the Duluth Ship Canal. Later that day, she landed in Grand Marais after making the routine stops along the coast. After clearing cargo and passengers, the America rounded the breakwall heading for Isle Royale. Apparently, the routine was to continue north along the shore and return through Isle Royale, stopping at the fish houses before returning to Duluth.
But on this night, the America was carrying several passengers bound for Washington Island. At 3 a.m. on June 7, she nosed out of the Singer Hotel Dock on Washington Island. Heading for North Gap and open water, the Captain retired and let First Mate Wicks and a helmsman take the watch. Within minutes, the ship bumped over a reef, puncturing holes in the single bottom. Returning to the bridge, where the mate was signaling the alarm to the crew and passenger, Capt. Smith ordered the helmsman, Fred Nelson, to head towards a gravel beach before the ship floundered and lost headway.
Thirty yards off the beach, the America hit another reef and came to an abrupt halt. Meanwhile the crew in the engine room greased the engine to prevent rust and improve salvage and the topside crew began to move the passengers to the lifeboats. Within an hour and a half of leaving Washington Island, the crew and passengers were on their way back in lifeboats. They met a small fleet of fishing boats coming to the sound of the whistle.
The America came to rest with the bow standing out of the water and the stern and midships reaching into the depths. A. Booth and Sons elected not to salvage the America, probably due to the completion of Minnesota Trunk Route I (US 61). The new road cut the cost of transportation along the shore making it unprofitable to operate a ship. The next year in September, 1929, Capt. Cornelius Flynn of the Duluth Salvage Company bought the rights to the America. The winter of '28–29 had done minor damage to the upper cabins. But before he could get a crew to the site, winter set in and kept them at home. The following spring, the ice had sheared off the cabins at the waterline. The decrease in weight and the upward pressure of the ice floated the wreck and it settled beneath the surface. Today, it can be seen 4 to 85 feet (1 to 26 m) below the water." [end]
Date of Shipwreck: 7 Jun 1928
Type of Boat: Steamboat
Military or Civilian: Civilian
Cause of Shipwreck: collision with a reef near Isle Royale
Accessibility:
The wreck is accessible by boat from Isle Royale or by dive charters that operate locally. The wreck can be seen from the surface of Lake Superior by anyone on a boat in the area of the wreck.
Diving Permitted: yes
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Visit Instructions:
Only log the site if you have visited it personally.
Floating over a site does not qualify as a find if it is a wreck that requires diving - you must have actually visited the site - therefore photos of the site are good.