Overview

• Christopher Thuss discovered the wreck of the J. C. Ames using fishing sonar near Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on May 13, 2025.
• The J. C. Ames, originally built in 1881 as the J. C. Perrett, was a massive Great Lakes tugboat scuttled by fire and sunk in 1923.
• Wisconsin Historical Society archaeologists have confirmed the wreck’s identity and are working to list it on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
• The wreck, lying just nine feet underwater, is well-preserved and being considered for recreational activities like kayaking and snorkeling.
• Thuss’s discovery continues a family legacy of shipwreck spotting, following his step-grandmother’s identification of three wrecks in 2015.