The America was a wooden schooner. Its shipwreck site is located off the coast of

Carlton, Wisconsin Carlton is a town in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,014 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Norman is located in the town, and the unincorporated community of Tisch Mills is located partially in th ...

in Lake Michigan.

Service history

The America was completed in Port Huron, Michigan in 1873. Primarily, the ship sailed on the lower areas of Lake Michigan. Its main cargo consisted of lumber and ice.

Sinking

On September 28, 1880, the ''America'' was en route to

Escanaba, Michigan Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,616 at the 2010 census, making it the third-largest city ...

from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The plan had been for it to pick up a load of iron ore that was to be sent to Michigan City, Indiana. That night, the ''America'' struck another vessel's scow line, causing catastrophic damage to the bow. The ship sank fast. A little over a week later, efforts to salvage the ''America'' were unsuccessful and the wreck was abandoned. The shipwreck was found in 1977. Its wheel is on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with ove ...

and its anchor is on display at the Rogers Street Fishing Village in

Two Rivers, Wisconsin Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,712 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae (though other cities, such as Ithaca, New York, make the same claim). The city's adver ...

References

{{NRHP Lake Michigan shipwrecks of Wisconsin, state=collapsed Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin Shipwrecks of the Wisconsin coast Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan