Wisconsin woman spots century-old shipwreck in Lake Superior

Hannah Damon, director of outreach and administration at Camp Amnicon Adventures and Retreats in South Range, Wisconsin, discovered the remains of a century-old steam-powered tugboat while walking the beach with her 9-year-old son. The vessel, identified as the A.H. Pitz, had been submerged for decades but became visible due to unusually clear water conditions along the Lake Superior shoreline.

Damon stated that although she had known about the sunken vessel for years, she had never actually seen it until this recent sighting. She described the moment of discovery to Fox News Digital, noting that beams, cables, and a massive pipe emerged from the water. Damon recalled telling her son, "OK, you are not allowed to splash me, this is a really exciting discovery," before rushing to retrieve her camera to document the find.

Video footage captured by Damon shows weathered wooden beams and debris resting on the lakebed. Damon described the water as "crystal clear" and glassy, a rare occurrence in that specific area. The location sits within the Lake Superior clay plain, where surrounding soil is largely composed of clay. This composition typically makes the water murky and obscures objects beneath the surface, making the wreck fully submerged and usually difficult to see.

Damon noted that the water conditions are not consistent. She reported returning to the beach the following day to find the water calm but murky again. She expressed hope that the wreck might remain visible occasionally for those who know where to look, though she emphasized that it is definitely a rare find.

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the A.H. Pitz was built in 1923 for the McMullen and Pitz Construction Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The tugboat was named after Armond Pitz and measured nearly 70 feet in length. The vessel changed ownership several times before being abandoned at the mouth of the Amnicon River in 1951. Damon said she had heard the tugboat was intentionally sunk in 1951 to help stabilize a sandbar along the beach.

Damon shared footage of the shipwreck on social media, where the response included commenters recalling seeing the vessel as far back as 1967. Others recognized its location along the Lake Superior shoreline. Damon told Fox News Digital that the online reaction was probably the closest thing to "viral" that Camp Amnicon had ever experienced. She stated that the response has helped reconnect members of the community through a shared piece of local history.

Damon reflected on how local history and archaeology can serve as a unifying force for residents, suggesting that such shared cultural elements bring people together. She added that it was exciting to come across the wreck after swimming at that particular beach for 10 or 11 years without previously seeing it.