Shipwreck Report: Lake Ontario / CHARLES C. RYAN (1890)

Identification & Site Information

• Name: Lake Ontario (later CHARLES C. RYAN)
• Former Names: RYAN, CHARLES C. (after 1889 Rebuild)
• Official Number: (Canada) Unknown / (U.S.) 126622
• Type at Loss: Wooden Package Freighter / Later Converted to a Steam barge
• Date Built and Launched: 1873
• Builder: S. Andrews & Son, St. Catharines, Ontario
• Original Owner: Lake & River Steam Ship Co., Hamilton, Ontario
• Measurements: 136.8 ft (41.7 m) length, 23.8 ft (7.3 m) beam, 7.6 ft (2.3 m) depth
• Tonnage: 675 gross tons, 396 net tons
• Date Lost: June 7, 1890
• Place of Loss: 20 miles above Point aux Barques, Michigan, Lake Huron

Vessel Type

Wooden Package Freighter (Converted to Steam barge in 1889)

Description

The Lake Ontario was built in 1873 in St. Catharines, Ontario, as a package freighter, designed for cargo and passenger transport across the Great Lakes. She was one of three sister ships, including Lake Erie and LAKE MICHIGAN. Over her 17-year career, she underwent several ownership changes, groundings, and repairs, eventually being Rebuilt as a steam Barge in Buffalo, New York, in 1889 and renamed CHARLES C. RYAN.

The vessel was known for towing barges in the grain and general cargo trade, often running between Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Toledo, and Buffalo. In 1888, she suffered two fires—one at Charlotte, Ontario, and another at Clayton, New York—which led to her sale and reconstruction.

After the Buffalo Rebuild in 1889, she was lengthened and strengthened for bulk cargo transport, but her Hull was aging.

Final Voyage & Loss

On June 7, 1890, CHARLES C. RYAN (formerly Lake Ontario) was en route from Midland, Ontario, to Buffalo, New York, towing two barges, E. COHEN and JOURNEYMAN, when she sprang a leak in a storm on Lake Huron.

As water flooded the Hull, the crew struggled to keep her afloat, but the ship eventually Foundered.

• One crew member was lost.
• The survivors escaped in a dinghy and drifted on the open lake overnight.
• The next day, the Steamer BRECK discovered and rescued them.

Parts of her wreckage washed ashore near Southampton, Ontario, on June 30, 1890.

Final Disposition

Sprang a leak and Foundered in a storm 20 miles above Point aux Barques, Lake Huron, on June 7, 1890.

• One life lost
• Crew rescued the following day by Steamer BRECK
• Declared a Total Loss

Located By & Date Found

Nil—there are no confirmed reports of CHARLES C. RYAN‘s wreck being located.

Parts of the vessel washed ashore near Southampton, Ontario, in June 1890, but the main wreck site remains unknown.

NOTMARs & Advisories

Nil—no known navigational advisories related to the wreck site.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Shipwreck File
• Lake Huron Shipwreck Research

Conclusion

The Lake Ontario/CHARLES C. RYAN had a long and eventful career, including fire damage, a Rebuild, and numerous accidents, before her final loss in 1890.

Her fate mirrors many aging wooden freighters, which often Foundered under the strain of heavy cargo and rough Great Lakes storms.

While portions of her wreck washed ashore, her final resting place remains a mystery in the depths of Lake Huron.

Keywords, Categories, and Glossary Terms

• Keywords: Lake Ontario shipwreck, CHARLES C. RYAN wreck, Lake Huron steambarge loss, Point aux Barques wrecks, Great Lakes package freighters
• Categories: Lake Huron Shipwrecks, Package Freighter Losses, Storm-Related Shipwrecks, Unlocated Shipwrecks, 19th-Century Maritime Disasters
• Glossary Terms:
• Package Freighter: A Great Lakes vessel designed for carrying general cargo and passengers.
• Steambarge: A converted package freighter, adapted for bulk cargo transport such as lumber or stone.
• Point aux Barques: A notorious shipwreck zone on Lake Huron’s eastern Michigan shoreline, known for sudden storms and treacherous waters.