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ShipwreckFreshwaterTechnical DiveSource Checked

NBM Dive Site Resource

American

Offshore Lake Ontario, New York, United States

TECHNICAL DIVE ONLY — American is a Lake Ontario schooner barge documented by NOAA in 150 ft / 46 m of water. This exceeds recreational depth limits and requires appropriate technical and decompression training.

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Historic Picture Placeholder

Old-fashioned maritime line drawing reserved for a future historic photograph
Historic Picture PlaceholderHistoric photograph pending research and rights review
WaterFreshwater
AccessAccess details pending
ExperienceTechnical dive only — beyond recreational depth limits; appropriate deep technical and decompression training required
Maximum depth150 ft / 46 m (NOAA)
Best seasonSeasonal details pending
VisibilityVisibility varies

Aquatic life at this dive site

What divers may encounter

Three reviewed connections are featured here. Sightings vary by season, conditions, and chance, so they are never guaranteed.

Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) — photograph
Possible deep cold-water encounter

Lake Trout

Salvelinus namaycush

NOAA documents American upright in 150 feet of Lake Ontario water. New York State identifies lake trout as a cold-water Lake Ontario predator, making an encounter possible around the wreck and nearby water column.

Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Burbot (Lota lota) — photograph
Possible deep-structure encounter

Burbot

Lota lota

American rests upright at 150 feet, a deep cold-water setting consistent with the Great Lakes wreck habitat where NOAA reports burbot often appear. Sightings remain condition-dependent.

USFWS Mountain-Prairie

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Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) — photograph
Common bottom-associated encounter

Round Goby

Neogobius melanostomus

New York State documents bottom-hugging round gobies as part of the Lake Ontario food web. Divers may see them on American's coal-strewn bottom and lower hull structure.

Peter van der Sluijs

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Site media

Photographs

Three views rotate from the published gallery on each visit.
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending

Contributor media

Dive videos

Three featured video positions are reserved on every profile.
Dive-site video pending
Dive-site video pending
Dive-site video pending

Recent field observations

Diver-reported temperatures

Automatically checked observations from dives during the past 14 days. Three reports are visible at a time; scroll for more.
Automatically checked
No recent diver reports from the past 14 days

A report that passes the automatic checks will appear here with the dive date, diver’s display name, and temperatures at each depth.

Reports are automatically checked for plausible dates, depths, and temperatures. They are observations, not forecasts; confirm conditions before diving.

Diver field observation

Report temperatures

Reports publish automatically when the date, depths, and temperatures pass the checks. You must be signed in to submit.

Depth readings

Why divers know this place

Highlights

Mostly upright, largely intact three-masted schooner barge with windlass, capstan, bilge pump, rudder and tiller documented by NOAA.

Shipwreck-only module

The wreck

This section appears only on shipwreck records and brings the vessel, its loss, present condition, access, and responsible wreck-diving considerations into one place.

Vessel type
Three-masted schooner converted to schooner barge
Vessel length
137 feet

Before you arrive

Access notes

Technical dive only. Confirm current conditions, access authorization, gas plan, decompression plan and operator requirements before departure. NOAA has not publicly announced coordinates.

Plan within your training

Conditions and hazards

Depth beyond recreational limits, decompression obligations, cold water, limited light, changing visibility, entanglement and possible wreck overheads. Penetration requires separate wreck-penetration training and planning.

Independent resource notice

This record is a starting point for independent verification. Access, closures, moorings, weather, currents, depth, visibility, operator availability, and site conditions can change without notice. Confirm current information with the responsible operator, property owner, managing authority, or another qualified local source before planning or attempting a dive.