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Divers Find Intact 19th-Century Shipwreck in Lake Ontario

Researchers plan a return next season to collect samples for precise dating.

Overview

  • A Canadian team led by Heison Chak documented a largely intact wreck about 300 feet down, including a pristine deck cabin.
  • Photos by diver Jeff Lindsay show both masts and even topmasts still standing, an uncommon state of preservation in the Great Lakes.
  • Archaeologist James Conolly said construction features point to a vessel from the first half of the 19th century, pending formal dating.
  • The site aligns with an "unidentified object" recorded in a 2017 fibre‑optic cable survey and was found during a search for the 1917 Rapid City.
  • The team plans to return next dive season to conduct a dimension survey and collect wood samples for scientific analysis.