A mother and her nine-year-old son recently made an incredible discovery while walking along Lake Superior’s shoreline.
Hannah Damon, who is the director of outreach and administration at Camp Amnicon Adventures and Retreats in South Range, Wisconsin, could not believe it when she found a shipwreck that has been identified as the A.H. Pitz that was built in 1923, Fox News reported Friday.
Although she had heard about the shipwreck for many years, Damon was excited to finally see it with her own eyes.
“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,’” she told the outlet.
Damon recorded video of her find and gave details as to what she was seeing:
She also took photos of the shipwreck hiding just beneath the surface of the water in an area that is within the lake’s clay plain:
According to the Wisconsin Shipwrecks website, the tugboat “was built in 1923 for the McMullen and Pitz Construction Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It was named after Armond Pitz of the construction company. The ship was sold in 1944 to Northern Hardwood Veneers Company and moved to Duluth, Minnesota. In 1945, the A.H. Pitz was sold to Walter W. Bowe and in 1947, it was sold to E.C. Knudson, a dry dock company located in Superior, Wisconsin.”
The Fox article said the tug was intentionally sunk and abandoned in 1951.
Because the soil is mostly clay, the lake’s water can become murky and hide many secrets, including the boat that is completely submerged.
“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,” Damon said.
Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Archeologist Tamara Thomsen said, “It’s very exciting when these shipwrecks become uncovered, and again, it renews this enthusiasm about maritime history. Take advantage of it being uncovered now, go and see it now if you can. And enjoy it for the time that it is exposed.”
