The British Lion was a barkentine, a type of sailing ship, built in 1862 in Kingston, Ontario. It was the first vessel on the Great Lakes to be wire-rigged, meaning it used wire ropes instead of traditional rigging. The ship was primarily used for trade between the Great Lakes and Liverpool.
The British Lion had a length of 123 feet, a beam of 23.2 feet, and a depth of 10.9 feet. It had three masts and a tonnage of 276 (old style). In 1868, the ship underwent rebuilding and lengthening, increasing its length to 128 feet and its tonnage to 293.
On October 4, 1877, while carrying a cargo of coal from Black River, Ohio to Brockville, Ontario, the British Lion was caught in a storm and driven ashore at Long Point on Lake Erie. Thankfully, no lives were lost in the incident. However, the vessel was wrecked and ultimately became a total loss.
News reports from the time confirm the grounding and subsequent loss of the British Lion. The crew members were saved, but the ship was abandoned and eventually stripped. The exact fate of the vessel after the incident is unclear, but it is known that it was never recovered or put back into service.
The British Lion holds historical significance as the first wire-rigged vessel on the Great Lakes. Its loss in 1877 marked the end of its career and added another chapter to the maritime history of Lake Erie.
