Take your boat across 50 miles of open water to an island on the other side of Lake Superior, Isle Royale. It's is about 48 miles to the northeast (Rock Harbor) end and 68 miles (from gas stop to gas stop at (Windigo in Washington Harbor) the Southwest end. Or you can launch from Grand Portage, MN which is only about 18 miles from the south end (about 22 miles to the gas dock at Windigo). Grand Portage is also where you can board one of two charter boats. (Ken Merryman owns the Heyboy). The wreck is marked with a large buoy and an even larger "No Swimming" buoy (include a map). The tip of the bow is only four feet below the surface. The stern is in 80 feet of water.
For over a quarter century the America was a welcome sight along the Lake Superior shoreline. Built in 1898 as a package and passenger freighter her travels extended from Duluth, MN to what is now Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She also stopped at a popular resort island of the time, Isle Royale. At a length of 182 feet the America was one of the smallest yet busiest ships on the Great Lakes. She poked her bow into every crack in the shoreline. For many people she was the only link they had to outside world. She brought news and need supplies to the people of the north shore.
In her 27 years she completed over two thousand round trips with only a dozen minor mishaps. But on June 7, 1928 her luck changed. She struck the rocky bottom in North Gap Channel (pic on rocks w/ girl ready to jump). With the ship taking on water a mate attempted to run her aground to prevent her sinking. This allowed the ten passengers and thirty crew members to escape unharmed.
As time passed the America slid further into the water and is now completely submerged. (smoke stack pic on rocks) She rests upright and intact at a 45 degree angle.
The bow is shallow whereas the stern lies in 80 feet of water.
As we move through her rooms we can imagine how passengers danced into the night to the sound of the old grand piano that now lies silent on the ballroom floor.
The Ship is a monument to an earlier era when a slower pace of life made time for fine craftsmanship. Ornate iron and woodwork trims the ceiling of the salon.
Ron examines the architecture in the salon and admires the craftsmanship used to build the raised ceiling that provided additional ambient lighting.
As we exit the ballroom we ascend towards the bow and follow at trail of debris. A stairway reveals itself and we are compelled to explore it. 
Our curiosity pays off. We discover a large dining room where passengers we treated to elegant meals of steak, whitefish, and trout as part of their $6 round trip fair. Remnants of a sink and stove can be found in the galley.
Every room of the America is accessible although some of the passageways are narrow and dark.
This is especially true if you are wearing doubles. 
I often tear down my doubles and screw in a K valve to make this a one tank dive. It also helps if you ditch the argon bottle.
Its so much fun to be able to access the galley and some of the hatches.
This is the engine room and the triple expansion steam engine which still displays a hand painted American flag.
As the America lay helpless, after the grounding, mother nature took its toll. Winter ice slowly chiseled away at her superstructure, destroying her forward cabins, and dislodging her smoke stack. The smoke stack is worth a visit, you'll find it on the port side in 80 feet of water.
The plumbing is all that's left of the aft superstructure.
Swimming forward Lew points out a hatch leading to the crews quarters.
Swimming in we discover
that a single sink was used to wash off the days grease and grime
before retiring to their bunks.
We exit the crews quarters and 
arrive at the deck wench in the shallow waters above the bow.
Glancing up at our surface crew we are anxious to share our experience.
Mark
and Ron reluctantly return to the surface.
What a great dive. This is a fun one, there is so much to see and so many places to explore.
It is inside of one of Michigan's many fabulous underwater preserves (Isle Royale is also a National Park). No one takes anything. You're seeing it because the guy before me didn't take it. You do the same.
This is all I have time for now. If you like the images and the story buy the video "The Isle Royale Story". I'll be featuring other wrecks from Isle Royale from time to time.
I'm leaving Friday July 19 for the island. God willing, I'll be diving my favorite wrecks including the Kamloops. This is one of ten Major wrecks surrounding the island and one of the four wrecks featured in the video "The Isle Royale Story". Many like this one are within sport diving limits. The stern of the Chester Congdon, and the Kamloops are not within sports diving limits. The visibility is very good (between 25 and 80 feet, usually 40 feet)
Steve Linley
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