Isle Royale · United States · Wreck · Freshwater
SS America
Intact engine room, galley and cabins inside a Lake Superior steamer
The SS America is a passenger and package freighter lying at the mouth of Washington Harbor, its bow nearly breaking the surface and its stern at 24 m (80 ft). The midship and stern are intact, with the engine room, galley and cabins still in place, and the wreck has drawn sport divers since the 1950s.
Also known as America.
Where it is and how deep
47.8938° N, 89.2224° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck slopes down from a bow that sits nearly at the surface to a stern at 24 m (80 ft), so the dive runs as a gradual descent along the hull. Ice has damaged the ship down to about 9 m (30 ft), but much of the deck gear survives below that, including the windlass.
The midship and stern are the intact parts of the ship and form the deep end of the dive. The engine room keeps its piping, engine and other equipment, and the boilers did not explode in the sinking. Crew quarters, the galley and numerous cabins can be reached and examined.
The wreck
- Vessel
- America
- Type
- Passenger and package freighter
- Length
- 55 m (180 ft)
- Built
- 1898
- Sunk
- 1928
- Cause
- Struck a reef off Port Washington and was run hard aground just offshore
- Lies
- Sloping from the bow near the surface to the stern at 24 m (80 ft), midship and stern intact
Launched in 1898, the America was a 55 m (182 ft) passenger and package freighter that spent her working life serving the Isle Royale community, carrying people to the mainland along with mail and provisions. On her first run of the 1928 season she struck a reef off Port Washington, and she was run hard aground just offshore; later efforts to salvage her failed. From the 1950s the wreck became popular with sport divers, helped by its closeness to Port Washington.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Isle Royale: The park is shut from November 1 to April 15; dive charters run in summer.
Dive videos
MSD Shipwreck of the America - Isle Royale National Park · MNDiving on YouTube
Sources
- Isle Royale National Park – Michigan Underwater Preserves — Michigan Underwater Preserves Council
- Scuba Diving – Isle Royale National Park — National Park Service
- Diving Info - Isle Royale Charters — Isle Royale Charters
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