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 Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society

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HomeS.S. America: A Diver's View of the Past

S.S. America: A Diver's View of the Past


America Book CoverA must have for any wreck divers library, this second edition has been totally revised. It includes an in-depth history of this famous Lake Superior ship, along with numerous new drawings and photographs.

A new updated second edition of S.S. America: A Diver's View of the Past has just been published by the GLSPS. The history of the ship by Thom Holden, Director of the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, is included at the beginning. Thom describes the early days of the ship when it traversed Lake Michigan and later when it was remodeled and spent the rest of its working days providing an important communication link to all the communities along the north shore of Lake Superior.

The America had a colorful career at the beginning of the twentieth century. The ship had many mishaps including collisions and groundings. The story ends with the sinking early one June morning in 1928. Several historic photographs from the collection of the Great Lakes Maritime Museum Association are included as well. A cross-section of the shipwreck, a map of its location, and drawings of what lies below the way it is now and the way it was when it sank, inspire the reader to join the author in diving the wreck through the chapters that follow.

The main section of the book includes deck plans at the beginning of each chapter depicting the location of many interesting features and artifacts still present on the shipwreck. Twice as many illustrations were added to enhance a diver or historian's view of the ship the day it sank. The galley stove, boilers, coal room, and bunks in the crew quarters are among the new drawings that were added. Several images of the ship and the deck plans were based on original drawings from the American Shipbuilding Collection, courtesy of the Historical Collection of the Great Lakes at Bowling Green State University.

The book serves as an excellent resource for planning dives or to learn about the layout of a steamship.
 
Contact us if interested in purchasing this book.

Paperback - 70 pages, 2nd edition (February 1, 2001) GLSPS; ISBN: 0-9709254-0-9; Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"