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A mid-1800s schooner has been discovered in deep water off the southern shore of Lake Ontario near Sodus Point. Shipwreck enthusiasts Jim Kennard, Dan Scoville and Chip Stevens located the old schooner utilizing sophisticated side scanning sonar equipment.

The discovery of the schooner was made in 2006 by utilizing sophisticated side scan sonar technology. The sonar imagery clearly showed a damaged sailing ship with its two masts lying nearby. Due to the depth limitations for safe diving, the shipwreck explorers were unable to view their discovery that season. The team waited until this year to utilize a new remote operated vehicle with deep dive capability, developed by Scoville, to do the actual underwater exploration and to further confirm the identity of the ship.

The information that was gathered made for a good initial confirmation that the sunken ship might be the schooner Orcadian. The Orcadian was built at St. Ours, Quebec, in 1854 by C. Richard and owned by Rae & Brothers of Hamilton, Ontario. The ship had a carrying capacity of 147 tons. The cargo of wheat, on board the ship, was consigned to Clark & Gifford of Albany.

In the early morning hours of May 8, 1858, the Canadian schooner was traveling east to Oswego, collided with another schooner, Lucy J. Latham, that was headed in the opposite direction for the Welland Canal. At approximately 3 a.m. that day, while performing tacking maneuvers, the Lucy J. Latham collided with and stove in the side of the Orcadian. The accident was reported to have occurred approximately eight to 10 miles off Big Sodus Bay, near the port of Sodus Point. Orcadian took on a great amount of water from the large gap in the side of its hull created by the collision and began to sink immediately. Within 10 minutes the Orcadian sank in deep water with its cargo of wheat.

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The shipwrecked schooner was discovered in water well beyond the limits (135 feet) for recreational SCUBA divers. Due to the limitations set on the depths that are allowed for diving, the explorers were unable to view their discovery that season. The team waited until this year to utilize a new remote operated vehicle with deep dive capability, developed by Scoville, to do the actual underwater exploration and to further confirm the identity of the ship.

The schooner that the three men located did not have a name painted on the stern of the ship, but other clues were available to identify the vessel. This shipwreck had two masts and a tiller, thus placing the construction of this ship from the 1850s or earlier. After this period, schooners utilized a ship’s wheel to control the rudder. The fact that this ship was so torn up confirmed that it had been in a collision. The general location was also consistent with the reporting of the collision between these exact two vessels. Measurements, that were made confirmed the exact dimensions as those of the Orcadian, which was 94 feet long and its beam measured 20 feet. A search through the shipwreck databases provided only one possible candidate that matched the general period of time when the ship was probably built, that had the same measurements, was wrecked by collision and that sank in the general location where the ship was found. This was how the conclusion was reached that this was the Canadian schooner Orcadian.

Jim Kennard has been diving and exploring the lakes in the northeast since 1970. He found over 200 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Finger Lakes and in the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers over the past 30 years. His discoveries and work in this field has garnered him coverage in not only National Geographic magazine, but also in several other publications, including Skin Diver, Inland Seas, and Sea Technology.

Dan Scoville is an experienced cave and “technical” diver. He utilizes custom gas mixtures of oxygen, helium, and nitrogen to dive to depths of over 300 feet. Scoville currently serves as project manager and electrical engineer for the Remote Operated Vehicle product line at HydroAcoustics Inc.

Roland (Chip) Stevens is a retired architect and working artist whose artwork is well known in the Rochester area and which has been accepted into numerous national exhibitions. He has been a sailor for many years and has been covered in various mews publications and magazines in regards to some of the recently discovered Lake Ontario shipwrecks.

Kennard feels that the discovery of this shipwreck in particular is of great importance in connection with the local maritime history. “Off the south shore of Lake Ontario there really have not been that many shipwrecks actually,as most have gone down on the Eastern end of the lake near Canada. So when we do have a find like this one it is very significant. In general, we want to get people acquainted with the maritime history and the commerce in New York State that was being carried on at that time on the Great Lakes.”

Kenard concluded with the following comparison, “ those on these ships were essentially the truckers of that time period.” For further information the discovery of this shipwreck visit www.shipwreckworld.com.

MgicTwnger

The Great lakes are estimated to contain between 6,000 and 10,000 shipwrecks, the vast majority of which are undiscovered. The fresh, cold, and relatively sterile water is terrific for preserving these vessels with minimal marine growth. As far as I'm concerned, nothing can match the thrill of diving on a well-preserved wooden wreck from the 1860's and surfacing to see the Chicago skyline.

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