Spirit of America
Minesweeper · United States · Lost Early 1980s · The Channel Islands
A World War II wooden minesweeper that later became a Los Angeles club boat before sinking off Santa Cruz Island in the early 1980s.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1943 as a composite wood-and-steel Navy minesweeper, the vessel swept mines in the Pacific during World War II and later served as a Navy training ship before decommissioning. Sold into private hands, she operated for years as a club vessel out of Los Angeles Harbor under the name Spirit of America. After a shipboard fire, her salvage rights were sold and she was towed to Santa Cruz Island, where she broke loose from her mooring and sank at Little Scorpion.
Vessel
- 1943
- YMS-371 / AMS-371
- Not established
- Orange, Texas
- Wood
- 136 ft
- 24.4 ft
- Not established
- Diesel
- U.S. Navy (built and operated as a minesweeper); later private owners as a club vessel
Loss
- Early 1980s
- Mechanical failure
- Little Scorpion, Santa Cruz Island, California
- Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara Channel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 60-70
- Wood hull greatly deteriorated; steel components remain
- Bow in deeper water, stern toward shore
- Not established
- Within Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 34.05° N 119.55° W
- Approximate position
- Scorpion Anchorage, Santa Cruz Island, California
Position approximates Little Scorpion, Santa Cruz Island.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
The vessel's exact original hull number and precise date of sinking are not firmly established in the sources reviewed.
Ownership history, fire, salvage, and sinking circumstances.
California Wreck Divers (cawreckdivers.org)
Dimensions, wreck condition, depth, and orientation.
