"'Lady Washington' - the second oldest wreck in the Great Lakes Region - video

A search in the North American Great Lakes has found the second oldest wreck ever to have sunk in the region. The Canadian-owned sloop sank more than 200 years ago. The researchers came across their find while exploring the waters of Lake Ontario – the smallest and easternmost body of water among the five lakes that make up the so-called Graet Lakes.

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The discovered wreck is a vessel named “Lady Washington”, which sank during a heavy storm in 1803. The American-built and Canadian-owned sloop was found by a local group of wreck finders.

A team of three explorers from New York have come across a wreck in deep waters near the town of Oswego. Thanks to footage recorded using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), they were able to confirm that this is the wreck of the ‘Lady Washington’.

“This wreck is completely unique. There aren’t many like it,” – Jim Kennard – a member of the three-man discovery team – said in an interview with reporters

Kennard, along with two colleagues, Roger Pawloski and Roland “Chip” Stevens, are experienced wreck searchers with numerous finds in the Great Lakes region and other US waters.

As for the wreck itself, the “Washington” is a vessel built on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1798. Sailing between western New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario, the “Washington” was engaged in the transportation of people and goods. In 1802. after the sale into the hands of Canadian merchants, the vessel was dragged on skids across the Niagara River, providing a link between Lake Erie and Ontario.

The end of the 16-metre vessel’s service came on 6 November 1803. Sailing from Kingston to Niagara with a cargo of goods from India and five passengers on board, the “Lady Washington” was caught in a strong storm and sank as a result of the incident. Both the entire crew and all the traders perished. Jim Kennard mentioned that the chronicles of the time recorded that the next day, fragments of the vessel and cargo were washed ashore near Oswego by the water.

“Lady Washington” was the oldest known sailing vessel used commercially in the Great Lakes region and the only sloop to sail on Lakes Eire and Ontario. The one-masted sloops were replaced in the early 20th century by two- and three-masted schooners, which were much easier to sail.

To date, no drawings or sketches have survived depicting the appearance of the “Lady Washington”, so finding the wreck in excellent condition will fill this gap in naval history, concerning both visual and structural aspects.

“Each wreck found offers something different that adds to our knowledge and provides a more complete picture of days gone by,” – said Carrie Sowden of the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo – which is sponsoring the search.

For the record, the “Lady Washington” sloop, located in the summer of 2016, is the second oldest wreck found in the region. Right after HMS “Ontario” – a British warship sunk in 1780 in… the waters of Lake Ontario. Interestingly, this wreck was also found by Jim Kennard and another searcher in 2008.

Source: shipwreckworld.com