Lake Ontario Shipwreck

Categories: News | Travel
    • 19th century dagger-board ship found in Lake Ontario
    • 55 feet-long
    • Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville discovered it in fall 2008Fox News: Mysterious Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Ontario (December 13, 2008)
    • Found while conducting surveys with sonar equipment
    • There are no known reports of a dagger-board ship sinking
    • Ship sits 500 feet below the surfaceFox News: Mysterious Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Ontario (December 13, 2008)
    • It is sitting upright and is in good condition

  • A rare, 19th century dagger-board ship was discovered sitting upright on the bottom of Lake Ontario. Two explorers discovered it in fall 2008 while conducting underwater surveys with sonar equipment. It is unknown how the vessel sank or where it comes from.

    This is the only dagger-board vessel found in the Great Lakes. These types of ships were used only briefly in the 1800's. The name of the ship is unknown, and there are no known reports of such a vessel sinking in Lake Ontario. The vessel is in excellent condition and appears to be stripped of all usable contents. The explorers hypothesize that the ship was being converted into a barge or other vessel and broke away from its mooring in a storm.Fox News: Mysterious Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Ontario (December 13, 2008)Scoville also thinks that the ship might have been under-tow when it sank.Democrats and Chronicle: Shipwreck found in Lake Ontario (December 12, 2008)

  • Dagger-board Vessels

    Dagger-board vessels were used for a short period of time in the early 1800s. The dagger-board was a wood-panel that could be used as a keel extension to give the boat more stability. Because the dagger-board could be raised, these ships could access shallow waters, giving them an advantage over other, larger boats. Dagger-board vessels were used primarily as cargo ships because of this access to shallow harbors.Fox News: Mysterious Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Ontario (December 13, 2008)

  • Exploration Details

    Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville discovered the vessel in the fall of 2008 while conducting an underwater survey with sonar equipment. The discovery was made on the last run of the season. A faint image appeared on the edge of the sonar screen and the men made another run for a better image and its exact location.Fox News: Mysterious Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Ontario (December 13, 2008)

    Two weeks later, the men returned to the site. Using a remote-controlled vehicle to explore and take photos of the wreck. Since its discovery the two men have been seeking the help of Great Lakes Maritime historians to learn more about the vessel and its origin.Fox News: Mysterious Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Ontario (December 13, 2008)

  • Shipwrecks in the Great Lakes

    This dagger-board vessel is one of the oldest ships discovered in Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes. The oldest shipwreck found in the Great Lakes was also found by Kennard and Scoville. In May 2008 the pair discovered the British warship HMS Ontario, which sank in 1780. The Ontario is the last-remaining British warship from this time. It is estimated that there are about 4,700 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, 550 in Lake Ontario alone.Fox News: Mysterious Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Ontario (December 13, 2008)

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