​Discovery of an Early 1800’s Schooner in Lake Ontario

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Oak Orchard, New York - An early 1800’s schooner, has been discovered in deep water off the southern shore of Lake Ontario near Oak Orchard / Point Breeze, New York. Shipwreck enthusiasts, Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville located the old schooner utilizing sophisticated side scanning sonar equipment.​



The Discovery

The discovery of the schooner was made the summer of 2005. The side scan sonar record clearly showed an image of a sailing ship with the masts still standing. This condition was unusual because typically, over a period of time, the masts fall off to the side of the ship or are pulled off when they are visible above water. The shipwrecked schooner was found in deep water, well beyond the limits (135 feet) for recreational SCUBA divers. Due to the depth limitations for diving, the shipwreck explorers were unable to view their discovery for the remainder of that season. Scoville was determined to view this shipwreck discovery and would lead a project in the Fall of 2005 to create a Remote Operated Vehicle to do the underwater exploration.



Exploring the shipwreck

The schooner is sitting evenly on the bottom with both masts still in place and rising up approximately 70 feet above the lake bottom. The masts go though the deck of the ship which is all that keeps them in place as all of the rigging and sails have long since disintegrated. Deadeyes and pulley blocks can be seen lying on the deck in various places. Just under the bowsprit there is a scroll bow stem, almost taking on the appearance of a very plain figurehead. Upon close inspection, the scroll stem did not appear to have any other markings or ornamentation. Both of the anchors are still firmly in place on either side of the ship near the bow with their chain wound up on tightly on the windless. There are two openings to the hold of the ship. Both hatch covers were found to have been slid open to allow entrance to the openings in the hold, which is almost completely filled with silt. A double common bilge pump is located next to the main mast. The ship’s cabin is still standing, but pieces of the roof were found scattered nearby. This condition provided an easy access to view the interior of the cabin area. There appear to be several feet of silt inside but no visible indication of the contents of the cabin. Two windows are in the rear of the cabin and two smaller windows are on each side of the center companionway. A small cabinet can be seen secured to the rear wall between the two windows. A large tiller is located at the stern of the ship, with the long handle finding its last position to the rail on the starboard side. The stern railing curves upward at its center most point. The schooner has a square stern that is sloped forward, slightly angled at its base. In this area, the faint remains of a large raised oval decorative detail can be seen. The name of the schooner probably was painted in this area. The entire ship is encrusted with Zebra or Quadra mussels, but this +160-year-old wooden shipwreck, is one of the most beautiful, fully intact, commercial schooners that we have seen off the shores of Lake Ontario.



Shipwreck Detectives

To search for and identify a potential shipwreck, more time is actually spent on land going though old newspapers on microfilm and conferring with shipwreck historians than on the lake searching. Ships that get caught in a storm become very broken up, the nameplate may become lost in the wreckage or the painted name on a ship can end up disappearing over time. It is very important to do the research prior to conducting a shipwreck search, which can become very expensive, especially when chasing after a ship that may have actually been saved or salvaged later on. Once a ship is found, all efforts are made to confirm its name and history.



Over the course of many months during the 2006 summer and fall, Kennard was in contact with a number of shipwreck historians concerning unique characteristics relating to the age of this schooner. He also consulted with several individuals who have developed Great Lakes shipwreck databases.

The schooner that Jim and Dan located did not have an observable name painted on the stern of the ship, but there were other features that determined the probable time of construction. This schooner has a tiller. By the 1850’s steerage by a tiller all but disappeared to be replaced by full steering gear and a ship’s wheel. A scroll bow stem (a convex shaped bow just under the bowsprit) has been seen on some 1830s /1840s schooners, versus a convex contour shaped bow. The stern is an older design also placing this vessel in the 1840’s period.

A search through the shipwreck databases provided one possible candidate that matched the general location where the ship was found and had the same measurements as the sunken ship. This was the schooner “Milan”. Further confirmation was obtained from the ship’s enrollment papers. The Milan was built in 1845 by shipbuilder Asa Wilcox at Three-Mile Bay near Pt. Peninsula on Lake Ontario. She was a two-masted schooner with a beam of 19 ft 8 in. and 93 ft in length and had a square stern.

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The shipwrecked schooner was found to be headed directly to shore and not to the nearest port. There was no observable damage to the ship indicating that they were not in a storm or in a collision with another ship. Also the yawl was missing. These were all indications that the crew left the ship because it had developed a significant leak and was sinking fast.

More clues to link this ship to that of the schooner Milan were provided by several shipwreck historians and divers from the Great Lakes area. They indicated that the shipwrecked schooner Oxford, which sank and is located in Lake Erie, also had a scroll bow stem and a tiller. The Oxford was built in 1848 by the same shipbuilder, Asa Wilcox.