Mom and Son Discover Century-Old Shipwreck in Lake Superior
An unusually clear day revealed the submerged remains of the A.H. Pitz tugboat, abandoned in 1951.
A mother and her nine-year-old son recently made an unexpected historical find while visiting a beach in South Range, Wisconsin: the century-old shipwreck of the A.H. Pitz. Hannah Damon, director of outreach and administration at Camp Amnicon Adventures and Retreats, was with her son when clear waters revealed the submerged vessel.
Damon had been aware of the shipwreck's presence for years, but it had always been obscured by the typically murky waters of Lake Superior. The A.H. Pitz, a steam-powered tugboat built in 1923, was abandoned in 1951. Its remains typically lie hidden beneath the surface, obscured by the clay-rich soil common to the Lake Superior clay plain.
"We started seeing beams and cables, and this massive pipe, and it was like, wait a minute, this is a shipwreck, this is a shipwreck," Damon told Fox News Digital. She quickly retrieved her camera to document the discovery.
Video footage captured by Damon shows weathered wooden beams and debris scattered along the lakebed, visible through what she described as "crystal clear" and glassy water. This clarity is unusual for the area, which often experiences murky conditions.
"I was actually just down back at the beach yesterday, and again, the water was calm, but it was murky again," Damon said. "I hope it’s one of those things that, every once in a while, if you know where to look, you’ll be able to find it. But it’s definitely a rare find. It’s really exciting."
The A.H. Pitz was originally constructed in 1923 for the McMullen and Pitz Construction Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The tugboat, named after Armond Pitz, changed ownership several times before its final abandonment at the mouth of the Amnicon River. According to Damon, local accounts suggest the tugboat was intentionally sunk to help stabilize a sandbar near the beach.
"Even after swimming [here] and [being] on this particular beach for 10 or 11 years in a row, I had just never actually seen the shipwreck before," she said. "It was really exciting to find it, to come across it, and I just couldn’t wait to share it with the world."
Damon shared footage of the discovery on social media, sparking memories and connections among community members who also recalled the vessel. She noted that the response highlighted how historical finds can bring people together.