Lake Ontario, which is one of the freshwater bodies that make up the Great Lakes, is bounded by the state of New York on the southern end and the Canadian province of Ontario on the northern and southwestern regions. It occupies the last section of the chain of major lakes of the Great Lakes and links with the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River. Lake Ontario is the only one among the 5 freshwaters bodies of the Great Lakes that does not share the coastline with the Michigan State.
Dubbed as the “Lake of Shining Waters,” Lake Ontario is the smallest among the 5 major lakes in terms of surface area, although it tops Lake Erie when it comes to total water volume. It is the 14th biggest lake on the face of the earth and when one includes the islands within the region, Lake Ontario has an aggregate shoreline of about 712 miles. The major tributaries that drain into Lake Ontario include the Trent River, Humber River, Don River, Genesee River, Cataraqui River, Salmon River, Black River and Oswego River.
Lake Ontario Shipwreck Diving Adventure
Lake Ontario is a veritable haven for wreck diving fans. More than two-thirds of the shipwrecks in Lake Ontario that occurred during the era of schooners and early generation steamships took place in the region between the Main Duck Island and Prince Edward County.
The best wreck diving sites are concentrated in the waters around the islands of False Duck and Timber, Point Traverse, Prince Edward Point and the treacherous sandbars and shoals like the Poplar Bar, Gull Bar and Psychic Shoal. The “Graveyard of Lake Ontario” contains wrecks and remnants of several 2 and 3-mast schooners, barges, steamers and brigantines. Indeed, it is known in the diving community as the best place to go when one wants to experience and explore the rich maritime heritage of Ontario.
Featured Shipwrecks in Lake Ontario
Queen of the Lakes
Sometime in November of 1906, the Queen of the Lakes, an 18th-century schooner, was bound for Kingston, Ontario loaded with nearly 500 tons of coal. It sprang a major leak while on route to its port of destination after being hit by a strong November gale. In an effort to save the vessel, Captain Daryaw immediately altered her course and headed for Sodus Point, which was the nearest port from their location. The schooner did not make it and it sank before they could reach their port of destination.
C. Reeve
On November 22, 1862, the schooner C. Reeve left Chicago loaded with some 13,500 corn bushels for Oswego, New York. During the evening, a strong snowstorm set in and visibility was near zero. The crew were sailing literally blind, and the worst fear of the crew became a reality. It collided with another vessel, the schooner Exchange, while it was trying to reach the Welland Canal loaded with some 2,000 barrels of Onondaga salt bound for the ports along Lake Erie. According to reports the C.Reeve sank within minutes. The shipwreck is about 3 to 4 miles off the shores of Oak Orchard, New York.
Samuel F. Hodge
The steamer Samuel F. Hodge left Cleveland, Ohio for Prescott, Ontario loaded with some 600 tons of iron wire one early morning in July of 1896. An accident in the boiler of the steamer triggered a fire on board the freighter and within minutes other sections of the vessel were engulfed in flames. The crew of the steamer as well as that of St. Joseph’s, which came to their rescue, failed to put the fire under control. She finally sank a few miles off Oak Orchard, New York on the southern region of Lake Ontario.
