Latest news with #WisconsinUnderwaterArchaeologyAssociation
CBS News
a day ago
- Science
- CBS News
1880 shipwreck is discovered by accident in Wisconsin river
A survey of a Wisconsin river led to the accidental discovery of a shipwreck that sank in the area over a century ago. The Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Preservation Program and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association were conducting a high-resolution sonar survey earlier this year of the Fox River to map "potential cultural sites" in a 2.5-mile stretch of the waterway, the historical society said on social media. Those sites included the wreck of a steamer that sank in 1870 and the identified wreck of a ship that had been surveyed in 2016. Using a sonar system that creates a 3D rendering of the river bottom, the researchers were able to map the entire section of the river in high resolution, the archaeology association said. The stretch that the team mapped has "a significant amount" of debris, the researchers said, including large trees, rocks and remnants of lumber rafts and collapsed bridges. But amid the debris, they were surprised to see the remains of what appeared to be a different ship. "That's the excitement of archaeology, sometimes we find something new that we were not looking for!" the Wisconsin Historical Society said. The scan revealed a partially buried ship's hull about 90 feet long and 23 feet wide. The wreck is likely that of the L.W. Crane, the Wisconsin Historical Society said. The ship is of a different size than the 1870 wreck the team was initially looking for. The L.W. Crane was a wooden paddle wheel steamer ship built in Berlin, Wisconsin, in 1865, the historical society said. It was used to transport passengers and freight between Green Bay and Oconto. In 1880, the ship caught fire, burned to the waterline and sank in Oshkosh. The site where it sank is directly across the river from where the wreck was found. The historical society did not say how the ship caught fire, or if anyone was aboard the vessel at the time. Further investigations at the waterway are ongoing, the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association said, but are hindered by the debris at the bottom of the river. The researchers are working to find more information about the steamer that sank in 1870, as well as the L.W. Crane and other wrecks in the area.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
1880 shipwreck is discovered by accident in Wisconsin river
A survey of a Wisconsin river led to the accidental discovery of a shipwreck that sank in the area over a century ago. The Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Preservation Program and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association were conducting a high-resolution sonar survey earlier this year of the Fox River to map "potential cultural sites" in a 2.5-mile stretch of the waterway, the historical society said on social media. Those sites included the wreck of a steamer that sank in 1870 and the identified wreck of a ship that had been surveyed in 2016. Using a sonar system that creates a 3D rendering of the river bottom, the researchers were able to map the entire section of the river in high resolution, the archaeology association said. The stretch that the team mapped has "a significant amount" of debris, the researchers said, including large trees, rocks and remnants of lumber rafts and collapsed bridges. But amid the debris, they were surprised to see the remains of what appeared to be a different ship. "That's the excitement of archaeology, sometimes we find something new that we were not looking for!" the Wisconsin Historical Society said. The scan revealed a partially buried ship's hull about 90 feet long and 23 feet wide. The wreck is likely that of the L.W. Crane, the Wisconsin Historical Society said. The ship is of a different size than the 1870 wreck the team was initially looking for. The L.W. Crane was a wooden paddle wheel steamer ship built in Berlin, Wisconsin, in 1865, the historical society said. It was used to transport passengers and freight between Green Bay and Oconto. In 1880, the ship caught fire, burned to the waterline and sank in Oshkosh. The site where it sank is directly across the river from where the wreck was found. The historical society did not say how the ship caught fire, or if anyone was aboard the vessel at the time. Further investigations at the waterway are ongoing, the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association said, but are hindered by the debris at the bottom of the river. The researchers are working to find more information about the steamer that sank in 1870, as well as the L.W. Crane and other wrecks in the area. How a father's persistence unlocked his son's brilliance Global backlash grows to Trump's tariff threats Takeaways from Trump's tour of Texas flooding damage
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
An Amateur Pilot Found 3 Shipwrecks in 3 Days. 10 Years Later, Her Grandson Found Another One.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Christopher Thuss was out fishing in Lake Michigan when he discovered a shipwreck just nine feet below the surface of the water. The wreckage turned out to be the J.C. Ames, which sank in a fiery display on that spot more than a century ago. Thuss isn't the only member of his family to make such a discovery—a decade earlier, his step-grandmother earned the nickname 'Shipwreck Suzze' for spotting three different shipwrecks over the course of three days. There's something in the water in Wisconsin. How else can you explain how a grandmother and grandson duo both unwittingly discovered a cumulative four shipwrecks decades apart? According to a press release from the Wisconsin Historical Society, Christopher Thuss was out fishing on a foggy day in Lake Michigan (off the coast of Manitowoc) when he spied—just nine feet below the water—the remnants of a wreckage. 'Thuss reported his finding to Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen,' the press release noted, '...who worked in collaboration with Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association president Brendon Baillod to identify the wreck as the J.C. Ames.' Most of us probably wouldn't known just who to contact if we came across a shipwreck. But Thomsen was likely already on Thuss's radar. After all, per an article by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Thomsen had been one of the maritime archaeologists who had conducted surveys based on the discoveries made by 'Shipwreck Suzze' Johnson back in 2015. 'Shipwreck Suzze' made waves a decade ago when—as a byproduct of her retirement hobby of piloting an ultralight plane known as a 'powered parachute'—she discovered three different shipwrecks in the span of just three days. Remarkable as that is, the surprising twists don't stop there: 'Shipwreck Suzze' also just so happens to be Christopher Thuss' step-grandmother. So, what of the ship that Thuss discovered? Well, it's a vessel that has a story to tell all its own. According to the ship now known as the J.C. Ames began life under a different name—the J.C. Perrett. Built in Manitowoc in 1881, the fore-and-aft compound steam engine vessel is described as 'one of the largest and most powerful tugboats ever built on the Great Lakes.' Originally used to haul lumber (up to 'five barges worth' per Wisconsin Shipwrecks), the then-Perrett 'would serve a variety of roles over its long career.' It survived a collision in 1889, changed hands in 1895 to become a hauler of railroad barges between Chicago and Peshtigo, and saw its boilers replaced and its name changed to the J.C. Ames in 1896. It would be sold two more times before 1923, when it was finally retired from service and stripped for parts. After anything deemed valuable was removed, it was sent off in a fashion that might seem unusual to modern eyes: 'Its remaining hull was towed outside of Manitowoc in Maritime Bay and set ablaze for the enjoyment of spectators in 1923. This was a common practice with the elderly ships of the time. The Ames burned to the waterline and sank into 9 feet of water where it was further dismantled by wind, waves, and ice, until it was buried underneath the sand and forgotten.' Now, a century after its fiery descent, the J.C. Ames is headed for a second life as a likely tourist attraction. Per the Wisconsin Historical Society's press release, work has now begun to place the J.C. Ames on the State Register of Historic Places, with an eye towards eventually securing it a place on the National Register of Historic Places. 'Due to the wreck's unique position in Lake Michigan,' the press release noted, 'it has the potential to become a popular destination for kayaking and snorkelers.' 'These kinds of discoveries are always so exciting because it allows a piece of lost history to resurface. It sat there for over a hundred years and then came back on our radar completely by chance,' Thomsen said of the discovery. 'We are grateful that Chris Thuss noticed the wreck and reported it so we can share this story with the Wisconsin communities that this history belongs to.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
