Articles

Fire Did Not Sink the Titanic
The sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Titanic has captivated countless generations and individuals since the ship’s tragic demise 106 years ago. Several movies, books, TV shows, documentaries and musicals have collected the attention of the...  more »

Oswego – Bay of Sunken Houseboats
While searching for historic shipwrecks off Oswego we occasionally find modern boats on the bottom of Lake Ontario, the majority of which have been houseboats. Experienced boaters know that the lake can sometimes change very rapidly from calm waters into...  more »

OpenROV explores the wreck of SS Tahoe
With a speed of 18.5 knots, powered by two triple expansion engines each driving a three bladed propeller, sporting luxurious interiors, fancy wooden superstructure, a single funnel and a dove white steel hull, SS Tahoe was the largest passenger and mail...  more »

Rare Sailing Craft Found in Lake Ontario
Oswego, New York – A rare sailing craft identified as a scow-sloop has been located in deep water off Oswego, NY. In August 1872 the scow-sloop Black Duck was enroute from Oswego to Sackets Harbor when it foundered in a northwest gale. Only a small...  more »

Search for the ill-fated Waratah
"This video chronicles the 2003 survey and search for the ill-fated passenger ship SS Waratah that vanished without trace after leaving Durban South Africa in 1909. The search for the ill-fated ship has been led by Emlyn Brown for more than 25 years.The...  more »

The true footage of Titanic
As a fore note, the nature of this article does not regard the absurd conspiracy topic of a "switch" between Titanic and her sister ship Olympic. I am here to discuss a little known fact in depth, regarding visual media of the Titanic herself....  more »

SS Columbia - The Lost Ship Who Lit The World
Somewhere off Cape Mendocino, California in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, lies the tangled and rusted wreckage of a ship so revolutionary, its global impact continues to affect us to this day. She was a vessel so revolutionary and above anything of her time but was forgotten as time moved by. This ship was the Columbia.  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 »

158 year old Canadian Schooner Royal Albert Discovered in Lake Ontario
Fair Haven, New York - The Canadian schooner Royal Albert has been discovered in deep water off the southern shore of Lake Ontario near Fair Haven, NY. Shipwreck explorers, Jim Kennard and Roger Pawlowski located the shipwreck utilizing a high resolution...  more »

Mid-19th Century Steamship Bay State Discovered in Lake Ontario
Fair Haven, New York - The steamship Bay State has been discovered in the deep depths off the southern shore of Lake Ontario near Fair Haven, NY. Shipwreck explorers, Jim Kennard and Roger Pawlowski located the shipwrecked steamer Bay State utilizing a...  more »

The Wreck of the Griffon
Cris Kohl and wife Joan Forsberg have conducted over 20 years of research in order to write their new book The Wreck of the Griffon, the explorer La Salle’s ship that disappeared in 1679 on its return voyage from Lake Michigan. The Griffon was built...  more »

Canal Boats from 1800s Found in Lake Ontario
Two canal boats that may date back to the mid 1800’s have been discovered in Lake Ontario by a team of shipwreck explorers. Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens located the canal boats using DeepVision side scan sonar while searching for...  more »

1926 Steamship Nisbet Grammer Discovered in Lake Ontario
The British steamship Nisbet Grammer, the largest steel steamer to have foundered in Lake Ontario has been discovered by a team of shipwreck explorers. Dan Scoville, Jim Kennard, Craig Hampton, and Roland Stevens located the steamer thirty miles east of...  more »

Early 1800’s Dagger-board Schooner Three Brothers Discovered in Lake Ontario
A rare dagger–board schooner, Three Brothers, has been discovered in deep water off Oswego, New York by a team of shipwreck enthusiasts. Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens located the schooner in early July utilizing high resolution...  more »

U.S.A.F. aircraft abandoned in flight discovered in Lake Ontario
The wreck of a U.S. Air Force C-45 aircraft abandoned during flight by its crew in 1952 has been located in deep water off Oswego, New York. Crippled by the failure of one of its two engines the plane continued on a 65 mile pilotless flight until it...  more »

Empress of Ireland artifacts.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in the St Lawrence river. To mark this occasion the Canada government has introduced new coins and postage stamps. The Museum of History in Gatineau Quebec (Ottawa) will open...  more »

Early 20th Century Canadian Steamer Roberval Discovered in Lake Ontario
Rochester, New York – The Canadian steamer Roberval which foundered in 1916 when struck by a rogue wave has been discovered in the deep depths of Lake Ontario. The Roberval is one of only two undiscovered steel clad ships still in the lake and has...  more »

Mid-Nineteenth Century Canadian Schooner Ocean Wave Discovered by Shipwreck Explorers
Rochester, New York – The battered remains of the Canadian schooner Ocean Wave, which capsized and eventually sank from a sudden and violent squall, has been found in the depths of Lake Ontario. Shipwreck explorers Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski and...  more »

175 Year Old Great Lakes Atlas Schooner Located in Lake Ontario
Rochester, New York - The wreckage of the schooner Atlas which sank in 1839 during a gale has been located in Lake Ontario. The Atlas may be the oldest confirmed commercial schooner discovered in the Great Lakes. A team of shipwreck enthusiasts, Jim...  more »

In-Depth Editions Dedicated to Publishing Quality Books on Shipwrecks and Maritime History.
Lost & Found: Legendary Lake Michigan Shipwrecks by V. O. Van Heest The many shipwrecks presented in Lost and Found became even more famous after their discoveries than at the time of their losses, gaining notoriety as historic attractions,...  more »

Shipwreck exposed in Grand Haven, Michigan Identified as Historic Steamer Aurora
Low lake levels in the fall of 2012 resulted in the exposure of at least five shipwreck hulks along the edges of Harbor Island in Grand Haven, Michigan. Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates was called in to survey and identify the vessels, in...  more »

Discovery of Scow Schooner Shannon
On June 20th 1874 the two masted scow schooner Shannon let loose her lines from the coal dock at the port of Oswego. Around 4:00pm the Shannon passed Oswego light and headed out into the lake. She had just taken on 100 tons of anthracite coal owned by...  more »

Portion of Ill Fated Tow Found by Shipwreck Explorers in Deep Depths of Lake Ontario off Oswego, NY
Oswego, NY: At approximately 4:40am on the night of November 17th 1879 the crew of the dredge Gordon fought for their lives in a Lake Ontario gale. Few lived to tell the tale of the last moments before the barge turned on its side and sank in deep water....  more »

152 Year Old Paddle-wheeler Onondaga Located in New York Finger Lake
Rochester, New York - The shattered remains of the Onondaga, a mid 1800’s paddle-wheeler, have been located in the deep depths of Seneca Lake south of Geneva, New York. A team of shipwreck enthusiasts, Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Hans...  more »

GERMAN U-BOAT DISCOVERED OFF NEW ENGLAND COAST
The WW II German submarine U-550 was discovered on July 23, 2012, 70 miles south of Nantucket Massachusetts. The U-550 was sunk by depth charges on April 16, 1944 after successfully torpedoing the American tanker, the Pan Pennsylvania. The exact location...  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.

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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.

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