Wisconsin Fisherman Discovers Historic Shipwreck
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On May 13, 2025, Christopher Thuss headed out for an evening on Lake Michigan, hoping to catch a fish or two. Instead, he discovered the wreck of a storied tugboat that had remained hidden beneath the surface for over a century.
The avid fisherman was scanning the shoreline with his sonar when he spotted pieces of wood scattered along the lakebed. Curious, he followed the debris trail, which led him to the midsection of a ship, lying just 9 feet (2.7 m) beneath the surface.
Thuss reported his discovery to the Wisconsin Historical Society. A dive team led by maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen surveyed the wreck. After comparing its dimensions with historical records, the experts concluded it was the J.C. Ames.
"Through deductive reasoning, we were able to get to that name," Thomsen told The Washington Post. "It’s like putting a puzzle together."
Built in 1881 at a cost of $50,000 — equivalent to over $1 million today — the J.C. Ames was one of the largest and most powerful tugboats on the Great Lakes. It was used for various commercial purposes, including towing railway barges and transporting lumber and pulpwood.
The wreck rests in a known ship graveyard off the coast of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Aging vessels that had outlived their usefulness were often deliberately sunk here. Thomsen believes the J.C. Ames met the same fate sometime around 1923.
"They stripped it and took any usable machinery to repurpose... and they set it ablaze," she told The Washington Post. "People came and watched them burn the ship. It was like an event in town. That was pretty common."
Thomsen said that finding wrecks in these zones is difficult because sand and sediment gradually bury them. She believes recent storms may have disturbed the lakebed just enough to reveal part of the J.C. Ames. The absence of invasive mussels suggests it has not been exposed for very long.
The Wisconsin Historical Society plans to secure the wreck site and add the J.C. Ames to the State Register of Historic Places. They will eventually nominate it for the National Register, which recognizes sites important to US history. These listings will help ensure the wreck is preserved for future generations.
This is not the first time Thuss has found a sunken ship in the area. However, it is the first one that had not been discovered before.
"I've spent a pretty decent amount of time fishing and being around other shipwrecks, so I knew what I was looking at," he said. "This is the first one I've found that has been unidentified and unknown."
Resource: Wisconsinhistory.org, Smithsonianmag.com, Washingtonpost.com
