Shipwreck Hunters Make Major Discovery in Great Lakes

On Wednesday, a team of underwater explorers found the second-oldest shipwreck in the Great Lakes. The vessel was confirmed to have sank nearly 200 years ago in Lake Ontario and was an American-built, Canadian-owned sloop.

The ship was located by the three-member New York-based group who made the incredible discovery in the deep waters off Oswego, in Central New York. Team member Jim Kennard stated that a remotely operated vehicle confirmed that the ship was called the Washington. The sailing vessel originally sank in the midst of a storm in 1803.

“This one is very special. We don’t get too many like this,” Kennard explained.” Kennard, alongside Roger Pawlowski and Roland “Chip” Stevens have found several other wrecks in Lake Ontario and other waterways, but knew that this particular find was a rare occurrence.

The 53-foot-long Washington was crafted on Lake Eerie in Pennsylvania in 1778. The ship was used to transport people and goods from western New York, Pennsylvania, and Ontario according to Fox News. When the ship went down, the Washington was carrying at least five people with the cargo containing goods from India. On its way to Niagara, Ontario from Kingsport, Ontario, the vessel sank after being caught in a powerful storm on November 6, 1803. All passengers aboard the ship died in when it sank.

The Washington is the second oldest discovered ship behind only the HMS Ontario, a British warship that sank in Lake Ontario in 1780. Kennard and another explorer were responsible for making the discovery in 2008.

Historians have never found drawings of the Washington, so the discovery of the ship will offer the opportunity to learn more about the design and construction of this particular type of sailing vessel.

Carrie Sowden, the archaeological director at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio stated, “Every shipwreck offers something different that adds to our knowledge base.”

Congratulations to Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski and Roland “Chip” Stevens for their remarkable discovery.

No report yet on whether the ship was hauling any precious jewels or treasure, which is what we probably were all wondering anyway.

[H/T Fox News, National Museum of the Great Lakes]