SR35-4

BY Valerie Van Heest

In more than two centuries, the wreck of the British 22-gun warship HMS Ontario, lost on Halloween night in 1870 in Lake Ontario, has never been found.” This statement, from an article I wrote called “Navigating through History,” in the April-June, 2008 issue of Great Laker was prophetically rendered untrue just one week after going to print.

Early this June, two explorers, Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville, discovered one of the Great Lakes’ oldest, most significant and incomprehensively intact shipwrecks. The HMS Ontario, an unusual brig-sloop rig of English design, set sail from Niagara, New York captained by James Andrews. The outgoing commander of Fort Niagara, Colonel William Bolton, had in his charge 88 British subjects plus, by some counts, 30 American prisoners. While sailing east to pick up a detachment of soldiers in Oswego, then headed for Fort Haldimand in the St. Lawrence River, a violent gale erupted. In the days that followed, debris and bodies drifted ashore in the area that is known today as Golden Hill State Park, 30 miles east of Fort Niagara. That was the last anyone ever saw of the ship or its troops... until now!

I became fascinated with the story of the Ontario as I did my research for that first article. For insight into the mystery of its sinking, I contacted Jim Kennard, a diver and retired Kodak engineer who has discovered more than 200 shipwrecks. My first question was, “have you ever searched for the Ontario?” As the only British warship sunk in freshwater, this would be an extremely significant find, even if it was just a few timbers in shallow water.

“I did a lot of looking in the ‘70s,” he said, “but it was like the proverbial needle in a haystack.”

Six years ago, Jim began a partnership with Dan Scoville, an electrical engineer and diver. Together they assembled the necessary side-scan sonar equipment and carved out time to go hunting for Lake Ontario’s most notable shipwrecks. They were successful; in just five years, they uncovered six intact historic vessels including the schooners Milan and Orcadian lost mid-19th Century and the steamer Homer Warren, sunk in 1919, all in deep, but diveable waters. However, the Ontario was still out there. Because it was likely in water too deep for even these intrepid explorers, they decided to forego their dive gear for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film their discoveries. This meant they could move their search into deeper waters.

Our conversations this past winter about the famed Ontario reignited Jim’s interest in finding the enigmatic shipwreck. Jim and Dan had already covered almost 200 square miles in pursuit of another shipwreck lost in an area between the Niagara River and Rochester, New York and realized they were narrowing in on the Ontario as well. April weather was good this year and they hoped they could cover more territory in a focused effort to achieve their biggest goal. But they never imagined it would happen on their fourth day out.

While the side-scan image provided a silhouette-type view of a two-masted sailing ship in waters nearing 500 feet, it did not offer enough data for a positive identification. For that, they would need to send down the ROV.

On June 8, two weeks after their discovery, when the lake was whisper calm, they headed to the site. As they maneuvered the ROV in the deep, dark water, the first image that came into view was a large yawl boat that had been tethered to the stern of the ship. Then as the ROV neared the stern, they saw the rudder and pivoted the camera upwards to see the defining image. Dan let out a quiet gasp as he saw the starboard quarter-gallery, an overhanging balcony-type structure unique to this British-designed ship, where the officers’ quarters were located.

“There was no whooping or hollering,” Jim recalled. “It was actually a very solemn moment.”

They both realized they had found a war grave. This could only be the Ontario.

Construction of the HMS Ontario began in 1779 at Carleton Island Shipyard located east of Kingston on the St. Lawrence River. The British, anticipating an American attack on Montreal via the Mohawk and St. Lawrence rivers, designed what would be at the time the largest and most powerful vessel on the Great Lakes, but it would never see battle.

Dan guided the ROV along the rail towards the bow, where he filmed the anchors and two cannons, then located the base of the forward mast. Jim and Dan stared at the monitor, as Dan piloted the ROV up the mast. Within minutes they saw a rare site: an intact crows’ nest. While filming the second mast, they confirmed another identifying feature; few other Lake vessels were outfitted with double crow’s nests.

The Ontario sank 33 years before the American warships Hamilton and Scourge, lost during the War of 1812 and found in Lake Ontario in 1973. Although it has been underwater for more than two centuries, the Ontario is so intact it appears that if raised to the surface, it could sail again. The brig-sloop leans towards the port side, but the masts remain rigid in their steps.

“Usually when ships go down in big storms, they get beat up. This went down in a huge storm, and it still managed to stay intact,” Scoville said. “There are even two windows that aren’t broken.”

The explorers also filmed more cannons and the ship’s bell. A portion of the bowsprit remains and just below it there is a beautifully carved scroll bow stem.

So we wait with baited breath to learn more about the loss of this famous ship. On September 20, the discovery team will debut underwater footage of the HMS Ontario at an historic event at a most suitable place: Fort Niagara, along the path of the New York Seaway Trail where the brig was last seen heading out into choppy seas. We now know the ship did not even make it halfway to their first destination when Lake Ontario swallowed it and its 120 passengers. Two hundred and twenty-eight years later, Lake Ontario’s biggest mystery has been solved.

For tickets to the event contact Jim or Dan at www.shipwreckworld.com




		BY Valerie Van Heest In more than two centuries, the wreck of the British 22-gun warship HMS Ontario, lost on Halloween night in 1870 in Lake Ontario, has never been found.” This statement, from an article I wrote called “Navigating through History,” in the April-June, 2008 issue of Great Laker was prophetically rendered untrue just one week after going to print. Early this June, two explorers, Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville, discovered one of the Great Lakes’ oldest, most significant and incomprehensively intact shipwrecks. The HMS Ontario, an unusual brig-sloop rig of English design, set sail from Niagara, New York captained by James Andrews. The outgoing commander of Fort Niagara, Colonel William Bolton, had in his charge 88 British subjects plus, by some counts, 30 American prisoners. While sailing east to pick up a detachment of soldiers in Oswego, then headed for Fort Haldimand in the St. Lawrence River, a violent gale erupted. In the days that followed, debris and bodies drifted ashore in the area that is known today as Golden Hill State Park, 30 miles east of Fort Niagara. That was the last anyone ever saw of the ship or its troops... until now! I became fascinated with the story of the Ontario as I did my research for that first article. For insight into the mystery of its sinking, I contacted Jim Kennard, a diver and retired Kodak engineer who has discovered more than 200 shipwrecks. My first question was, “have you ever searched for the Ontario?” As the only British warship sunk in freshwater, this would be an extremely significant find, even if it was just a few timbers in shallow water. “I did a lot of looking in the ‘70s,” he said, “but it was like the proverbial needle in a haystack.” Six years ago, Jim began a partnership with Dan Scoville, an electrical engineer and diver. Together they assembled the necessary side-scan sonar equipment and carved out time to go hunting for Lake Ontario’s most notable shipwrecks. They were successful; in just five years, they uncovered six intact historic vessels including the schooners Milan and Orcadian lost mid-19th Century and the steamer Homer Warren, sunk in 1919, all in deep, but diveable waters. However, the Ontario was still out there. Because it was likely in water too deep for even these intrepid explorers, they decided to forego their dive gear for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film their discoveries. This meant they could move their search into deeper waters. Our conversations this past winter about the famed Ontario reignited Jim’s interest in finding the enigmatic shipwreck. Jim and Dan had already covered almost 200 square miles in pursuit of another shipwreck lost in an area between the Niagara River and Rochester, New York and realized they were narrowing in on the Ontario as well. April weather was good this year and they hoped they could cover more territory in a focused effort to achieve their biggest goal. But they never imagined it would happen on their fourth day out. While the side-scan image provided a silhouette-type view of a two-masted sailing ship in waters nearing 500 feet, it did not offer enough data for a positive identification. For that, they would need to send down the ROV. On June 8, two weeks after their discovery, when the lake was whisper calm, they headed to the site. As they maneuvered the ROV in the deep, dark water, the first image that came into view was a large yawl boat that had been tethered to the stern of the ship. Then as the ROV neared the stern, they saw the rudder and pivoted the camera upwards to see the defining image. Dan let out a quiet gasp as he saw the starboard quarter-gallery, an overhanging balcony-type structure unique to this British-designed ship, where the officers’ quarters were located. “There was no whooping or hollering,” Jim recalled. “It was actually a very solemn moment.” They both realized they had found a war grave. This could only be the Ontario. Construction of the HMS Ontario began in 1779 at Carleton Island Shipyard located east of Kingston on the St. Lawrence River. The British, anticipating an American attack on Montreal via the Mohawk and St. Lawrence rivers, designed what would be at the time the largest and most powerful vessel on the Great Lakes, but it would never see battle. Dan guided the ROV along the rail towards the bow, where he filmed the anchors and two cannons, then located the base of the forward mast. Jim and Dan stared at the monitor, as Dan piloted the ROV up the mast. Within minutes they saw a rare site: an intact crows’ nest. While filming the second mast, they confirmed another identifying feature; few other Lake vessels were outfitted with double crow’s nests. The Ontario sank 33 years before the American warships Hamilton and Scourge, lost during the War of 1812 and found in Lake Ontario in 1973. Although it has been underwater for more than two centuries, the Ontario is so intact it appears that if raised to the surface, it could sail again. The brig-sloop leans towards the port side, but the masts remain rigid in their steps. “Usually when ships go down in big storms, they get beat up. This went down in a huge storm, and it still managed to stay intact,” Scoville said. “There are even two windows that aren’t broken.” The explorers also filmed more cannons and the ship’s bell. A portion of the bowsprit remains and just below it there is a beautifully carved scroll bow stem. So we wait with baited breath to learn more about the loss of this famous ship. On September 20, the discovery team will debut underwater footage of the HMS Ontario at an historic event at a most suitable place: Fort Niagara, along the path of the New York Seaway Trail where the brig was last seen heading out into choppy seas. We now know the ship did not even make it halfway to their first destination when Lake Ontario swallowed it and its 120 passengers. Two hundred and twenty-eight years later, Lake Ontario’s biggest mystery has been solved. For tickets to the event contact Jim or Dan at www.shipwreckworld.com