🚢 AMERICA – Canal Schooner Shipwreck
Registry No. 105337 | Lake Michigan | Near Two Rivers / Kewaunee, Wisconsin
🧭 Quick Facts
- Name: AMERICA
- Built: 1873 – Port Huron, Michigan
- Type: Canal Schooner (3-masted)
- Length: 137 ft
- Depth: 80–120 ft
- Location: ~4 miles NE of Two Rivers Point
- Sank: September 28, 1880
- Cause: Collision with stone scows
- Lives Lost: 0
📍 Location
- Body of Water: Lake Michigan
- Nearest Port: Two Rivers / Kewaunee, WI
- Coordinates: 44° 21.048’ N / 87° 26.850’ W
⚙️ Vessel Specifications
- Official / Registry Number: 105337
- Builder: Muir & Livingston
- Master Carpenter: James Perry
- Hull: Wood
- Decks: 1
- Beam: 26 ft
- Depth of Hold: ~11–11.8 ft
- Tonnage: 341.67 gross
- Rig: Schooner (3 masts)
📜 Vessel History
Built in Port Huron in 1873, America was designed as a canal schooner, a Great Lakes–specific vessel type engineered to maximize cargo while fitting through the Welland Canal locks.
She spent her career hauling lumber, wheat, and general cargo across the Great Lakes. Like many working schooners, her service included multiple incidents:
- 1874 – Grounded on Long Point (Lake Erie) with cargo loss
- 1877 – Collision with steamer City of New York
- 1877 – Collision with schooner St. Joseph, resulting in total loss of the smaller vessel
💥 Final Voyage
On September 28, 1880, America was sailing light from Chicago to Escanaba to load iron ore.
At the same time, the tug A.W. Lawrence, towing stone scows, signaled for a starboard-to-starboard pass. The signal was not heard aboard America.
A course change by the tug placed the scows directly in the schooner’s path.
- Collision tore a large hole in the bow
- The vessel sank within minutes
- Crew escaped safely via yawl boat
No lives were lost.
🛠️ Salvage History
- 1880 – Attempted recovery failed
- 1882 – Final salvage attempt abandoned
🌊 Wreck Site Description
The America rests in approximately 120 ft of water, broken into sections but still highly recognizable.
Key Features:
- Hull collapsed and split into sections
- Sides fallen outward at the bilge
- All three masts present alongside the wreck
- Detached jibboom embedded in lakebed
- Scattered rigging and structural remains
Unique Highlight:
The removable bowsprit system—designed for Welland Canal transit—is clearly visible, a rare surviving feature of canal schooners.
Artifacts:
- Wheel – Manitowoc Maritime Museum
- Anchor – Rogers Street Fishing Village, Two Rivers
🤿 Diving Notes
- Depth Range: 80–120 ft
- Skill Level: Advanced / Technical
- Conditions: Cold water, thermocline present
- Visibility: Variable, often good
Hazards:
- Collapsed decking
- Dispersed wreckage
- Entanglement risks in rigging
⭐ Why Dive the AMERICA?
- Classic Great Lakes canal schooner
- Rare bowsprit engineering feature
- Dramatic collision history
- Excellent for exploration and photography
🔗 Explore More
Meta Description
The schooner America (1873–1880) rests in 120 ft of water off Two Rivers, Wisconsin. A classic canal schooner lost in collision, now a premier Great Lakes technical diving site.