During a dive in Lake Ontario, a team uncovered a remarkably well-preserved shipwreck, complete with a standing mast. This vessel might date back to the early 1800s, shedding light on the historical intricacies of shipbuilding in the Great Lakes, something that’s often overlooked.
The unidentified ship was located about 100 meters deep in the lake by James Connolly, an archaeologist from Trent University. It first came to attention in 2017 during a fiber optic cable survey, noted for its “major anomaly.”
Hayson Chak, president of the Ontario Undersea Council, which spearheaded the dive, expressed his excitement in a magazine interview, sharing, “It took me a while to calm down because it’s overwhelming to find a pristine wreck where everything comes together.”
“It’s the shape it is. Both masts aren’t broken. We saw two. Both masts were up, which is pretty unusual. In all the rest I’ve dived, either the masts fell off, either because a boat ran into them or the anchor destroyed them. Or divers damage them,” he noted.
Chak, with two decades of experience exploring shipwrecks, mentioned he had never before seen a topmast on a wreck. The top mast, which is above the lower mast, plays a role in supporting the rigging and topsail yards.
“I’ve never seen the topmast of a shipwreck in Ontario or the St. Lawrence River,” he added.
The dive team had initially set out to locate the Rapid City, a ship built in 1884 that sank in 1917. They estimated the age of the newly found wreck based on features like the lack of a centerboard, wheels on the aft deck, and older rigging that used rope.
Connolly explained, “Metal rigging has only been commonly seen since the 1850s, so it immediately dates to the first half of the 19th century.”
Since the ship rests more than 300 feet underwater, Chak theorized that they might have been the first individuals to discover it.
“This is deep enough that I don’t think anyone has ever been in this before. I think we were the first group, and the joy was just overwhelming,” he reflected.
