description
- Schooner
- 90ffw 27m
- 100ft Length
- Port Dover, Lake Erie
- N 42 40.076 W 79 23.78
The schooner J.G. MCGRATH was built in 1870 in St. Catharines, Ontario. Constructed by Louis Shickluna, it was made of wood and had a single deck. The vessel measured 104 feet in length, 25.5 feet in beam, and had a depth of 10.5 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 217 and a capacity of 13,000 bushels.
Initially owned by Louis Shickluna of St. Catharines, the J.G. MCGRATH may have undergone a name change from TALIAFARRO before its launch. On April 22, 1870, it was successfully launched and registered in St. Catharines on April 27 of the same year.
Over the years, ownership of the schooner changed hands. In 1874, it came under the ownership of Glenn from St. Catharines. By 1877, H.C. Dunlop of Goderich, Ontario, became the new owner, and the vessel’s dimensions were recorded as 105 feet in length, 22.5 feet in beam, and 10.2 feet in depth, with a net tonnage of 219.
Tragedy struck the J.G. MCGRATH on October 28, 1878, when it foundered in a gale near Long Point, Lake Erie, approximately 20 miles off the coast. The vessel was bound from Point au Pelee, Ontario, to St. Catharines when it met its unfortunate fate. It sank to a depth of 150 feet, carrying a cargo of stone blocks.
Following the sinking, the registry for the J.G. MCGRATH was closed on November 27, 1879. The vessel’s final resting place serves as a reminder of the perils faced by sailors on the Great Lakes and the challenging conditions they encountered during their journeys.
