Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario: A Journey of Discovery

The National Museum of the Great Lakes is excited to announce the release of a new book titled Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario: A Journey of Discovery. This book contains the stories of these long lost shipwrecks and the journeys of the underwater explorers who found them, written by Jim Kennard with paintings by Roland Stevens and underwater imagery by Roger Pawlowski.  more »

Discovery of the Historic Great Lakes Schooner Trinidad
Discovery of the Historic Great Lakes Schooner Trinidad On July 15th, 2023, Wisconsin Maritime Historians Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck located the intact remains of the 156 year old schooner Trinidad in nearly 300 feet of water off Algoma, Wisconsin as...  more »

FACTS for Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary
The following facts have been compiled by explorers with combined experience totaling more than 80 years actively researching and discovering shipwrecks in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Lake Ontario: 56 shipwrecks* are estimated to be in the...  more »

Shipwreck Explorers Discover HMS Ontario - 1780 British Warship in Lake Ontario
HMS Ontario, a British warship built in 1780 has been discovered in deep water off the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Shipwreck enthusiasts Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville located the ship utilizing sophisticated side scanning sonar and an underwater remote operated vehicle. HMS Ontario is the oldest confirmed shipwreck and the only fully intact British warship to have ever been found in the Great Lakes.  more »

Rare 18th Century Sloop Washington Discovered in Lake Ontario
Oswego, NY - A rare 18th century built sloop, Washington (also known as Lady Washington), has been discovered in Lake Ontario off the shores of Oswego, New York by a team of shipwreck explorers. Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens located...  more »

Violent Loss of the Propeller Challenge
In the Spring of 2021, veteran shipwreck hunters Joe Van Wagnen and Mark Gammage located the remains of the passenger/freight Propeller Challenge in northern Lake Huron. The ship was lost on the return leg of her maiden voyage due to a violent boiler...  more »

Two Lost Civil War Era Sailing Ships Discovered in Lake Huron
Two longtime friends and shipwreck enthusiasts, Joe Van Wagnen and Mark Gammage have discovered an intact schooner in Lake Huron that sunk less than a month after the Confederate Army fired on Fort Sumter on April 12th, 1861 signaling the start of the...  more »

The Tragic Loss of the Hippocampus
This rare, original woodcut engraving has been in my collection for about 20 years. It is an excerpt from Harper’s Weekly, a popular illustrated newspaper, dated September 26th, 1868. It shows an artist’s conception of the haunting final...  more »

Missing 162 Years off Little Sable Point: The Schooner Garden City
Missing 162 Years off Little Sable Point: The Schooner Garden City The wreck of the Garden City presents historians with some challenges. Numerous sources state that the Garden City went ashore at Little Sable Point in October of 1858 and was...  more »

The Harrowing Loss of the Schooner Jo Vilas
At one time the Great Lakes were the only major “freeway” in the midwest. Thousands of vessels once brought settlers, freight and merchandise through this vast inland waterway. It is consequently, not surprising that accidents were very...  more »

The Enduring Mystery of the HMS Speedy
The Lost Ship of the Month for December is the legendary British gunboat HMS Speedy, lost with all hands in 1804 on Lake Ontario. The Speedy is one of the earliest lost ships still missing on the Great Lakes and played a significant role in Canadian...  more »

The Tragic Loss of the Western Resereve
The Western Reserve was a 301 ft., 2392 gt. steel freight steamer launched in 1890 at Cleveland, OH by Globe Shipbuilding. She was the first major steel freighter built for use on the Lakes. When she came out, her builders thought that her construction...  more »

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132-Year-Old Lake Superior Shipwreck Found ‘In Beautiful Shape
huffingtonpost.com — After 132 years, a long-lost shipwreck has been located at the bottom of Lake Superior, and it appears to be impeccably preserved. Over the summer, a five-man team, including a diver and historian, located the J.S. Seaverns freighter that sank in Canada...  more »

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‘Holy Grail of Shipwrecks’ found by Colombia could be worth $17 billion
marketwatch.com — “Great news: We have found the Galleon San Jose.” Thus what could be the biggest finding of a sunken treasure hoard in years was made by the government of Colombia in a single Twitter message on Friday evening. President Juan Manuel Santos...  more »

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Historic 116-Year Old Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Michigan
freep.com — A group of explorers recently found a historic steamship off the coast of Muskegon more than a century after it sank. Members of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association say the John V. Moran is one of the deepest and most intact wrecks found in Lake...  more »

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25 Stunning Sunken Ships That You’ll Want To Visit
youtube.com — There are over 3 million shipwrecks sitting on the ocean bottom. Sunken after an accident, due to unfavorable weather conditions or war, some of them have been scattered across the oceanic panorama for centuries. Shipwrecks are very popular and...  more »

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Famed Northwest Passage Shipwreck Found After 170 Years
nationalgeographic.com — One of the most famous ships lost in the 19th century has been located in the Arctic, the Canadian government announced Tuesday, prompting Prime Minister Stephen Harper to declare that "one of Canada's greatest mysteries" has been solved. The shipwreck...  more »

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Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario - A Journey of Discovery Book

The National Museum of the Great Lakes is excited to announce the release of a new book titled Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario: A Journey of Discovery. This book contains stories of long lost shipwrecks and the journeys of the underwater explorers who found them, written by Jim Kennard with paintings by Roland Stevens and underwater imagery by Roger Pawlowski.

Buy Now!



Legend of the Lake - New Discovery Edition Book

The recent discovery of the wreck of the British warship Ontario, “the Holy Grail” of Great Lakes shipwrecks, solves several mysteries that have puzzled historians since the ship sank more than two centuries ago. Now, for the first time, the whole tragic story of the Ontario can finally be told.

Buy Now!



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