21-05-2025
Grandson of woman who found 3 shipwrecks in 3 days discovers one of his own
Within the fog, a fisherman discovered a century-old shipwreck that 'stretches into the extraordinary,' Wisconsin officials say.
Consider it a family tradition for Christopher Thuss, whose step-grandmother earned distinction by once finding three shipwrecks in as many days.
The Wisconsin Historical Society said in a May 16 news release that Thuss was recently fishing on Lake Michigan off the coast of Manitowoc when he found the wreckage of the J.C. Ames, a tugboat that sunk in 1923.
'I didn't know exactly what I was looking at at first,' Thuss told WGBA. 'I turned over that direction and the whole ship was right there.'
It wasn't an ordinary tugboat. J.C. Ames — all 160 feet of it — was 'one of the largest and most powerful tugs on the lakes,' the historical society said, citing the 1990 book 'Green Bay Workhorses: The Nau Tug Line.'
Built in 1881, 'the J.C. Ames was dismantled and 'set ablaze for the enjoyment of spectators in 1923,' according to It sunk into the water, where it was buried beneath sand.
The website said the ship was 'forgotten,' leading the historical society to comment on its gratefulness for Thuss's discovery.
'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,' Tamara Thomsen, maritime archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society, said in a statement.
Thuss follows in the footsteps of his step-grandmother, 'Shipwreck Suzze' Johnson, who found three shipwrecks from the air during a three-day stretch in 2015.
Thuss said he told his dad of the discovery, and the father relayed the news to Johnson, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
'I think it's super cool that my name is in the books as someone who found one of the shipwrecks,' he told WGBA.
The resting spot of the the J.C. Ames is likely to be popular for kayakers and snorkelers because of its 'unique position,' officials said.
Manitowoc is about an 80-mile drive northeast from Milwaukee.
