One family certainly got more than they bargained for during a fun trip to the beach. Hannah Damon and her nine-year-old son were spending quality time at a Lake Superior beach in South Range, Wisconsin, when they uncovered something miraculous.
Out of the depths of the unforgiving waters, they caught a glimpse of a shipwreck.
They quickly determined the ruins belonged to the A.H. Pitz. The tugboat was built in 1923 before being purposely sunk in 1951.
Hannah Damon Stumbled Across a Shipwreck in Lake Superior
When Hannah Damon and her son headed to the beach for some quality time together, they never dreamed they would stumble across a piece of history.
“We started seeing beams and cables and this massive pipe, and it was like, wait a minute, this is a shipwreck, this is a shipwreck,” Damon shared with Fox News this week.
She was in complete disbelief at the scene that lay before her and couldn’t wait to snap a photo.
“I ran back to shore and I got my camera, and I was like, ‘OK, you are not allowed to splash me, this is a really exciting discovery,'” she remembered telling her young son.
The water along this stretch of shoreline is usually incredibly murky and difficult to see beneath the surface. On that day, Damon described the water as “glassy,” making it easy to see parts of the wreckage.
“I was actually just down back at the beach yesterday, and again, the water was calm, but it was murky again,” Damon added. “I hope it’s one of those things that, every once in a while, if you know where to look, you’ll be able to find it. But it’s definitely a rare find. It’s really exciting.”
On Instagram, she shared her excitement over the discovery and delivered several fun facts about the ship. She describes how the ship was intentionally sunk to help stabilize the shoreline.
Locals Feel Elated Over the Recent Discovery
After sharing photos and videos of the shipwreck online, Hannah Damon received a tremendous outpouring of support.
“Even after swimming [here] and [being] on this particular beach for 10 or 11 years in a row, I had just never actually seen the shipwreck before,” Damon told Fox News. “It was really exciting to find it, to come across it, and I just couldn’t wait to share it with the world.”
Plenty of locals had caught glimpses of the shipwreck over the years. Now, Damon feels overjoyed that many others are bonding and sharing their own fond memories of spotting the wreckage.
“I think that’s the cool thing about archaeology and history and local culture, that this kind of stuff can bring us together,” she said.
Wisconsin Woman Uncovers Shipwreck From 1952 on Lake Superior Shoreline