- Package Freighter
- 1 – 10ffw
- 246ft length
- Button Bay, Wolfe Island, St. Lawrence River
- N44.09.05.47 w076.20.53.99
The Oatland, formerly known as William J. Averell, was a wooden package freighter that operated from 1917 to 1921. It had a gross tonnage of 1,603.14 tons and a net tonnage of 1,425.43 tons. The vessel measured 242.6 feet between perpendiculars and 250 feet overall. It had a capacity of 43,000 bushels of wheat or 1,450 tons on a 14-foot draft. Over the years, its tonnage changed, reaching 1,531 tons gross and 1,441 tons net by 1898 and 1,854 tons gross and 1,063 tons net by 1918 according to Canadian measurements.
The Oatland was launched on March 29, 1884, by Detroit Dry Dock in Wyandotte, Michigan. It was built with two funnels abreast aft and featured diagonal strapping. The vessel was powered by a fore and aft compound engine with 725 indicated horsepower and 800 rated horsepower. Its construction cost amounted to $70,000. Throughout its operational years, the Oatland had various insurance ratings and market values. In 1913-1919, its insurance rating was 90, while its value ranged from $85,000 in 1917 to $60,934.37 in 1920.
Initially, the Oatland was owned by the Ogdensburg Transportation Co., which was the shipping arm of the Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain Railroad. It served the purpose of transporting western grain to Ogdensburg, New York, for rail shipment to the east, as well as moving manufactured goods and building stone from the east to the west. The vessel operated alongside other ships like William A. Haskell (later Joyland) and A. McVittie, which both ended up running for the Montreal Transportation Co. However, the owners of the Oatland defaulted on their payments to the builders on March 29, 1885, leading to the vessel being laid up in July of the same year due to a lack of business.
During the winter of 1885-1886, the Oatland underwent repairs and subsequently returned to service, running in the “Ogdensburg Line” on its previous route. However, on June 13, 1890, the vessel ran aground on South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan. It received a new propeller in 1894 and saw a transfer of ownership to Rutland Transit in 1899 when the company took control of the Central Vermont Railroad, which owned the Oatland.
In 1916, due to the American Panama Canal legislation, which required railways to sell their Great Lakes fleets, the Oatland was purchased by the Great Lakes Transit Co. and transferred to Canadian registry later that year. The Lake & River Transportation Co. of Montreal became its new owners, and it underwent lengthening at Cantin’s Dry Dock in Montreal. The vessel was subsequently renamed and transferred to Montreal Transportation Co. ownership. During its time under Lake & River Transportation and Montreal Transportation Co., the Oatland transported Canada Steamship Lines package freight upbound and Montreal Transportation Co. grain downbound.
In 1921, as part of the final winding up of the Montreal Transportation Co. fleet, the ownership of the Oatland was transferred to Canada Steamship Lines. However, the vessel was retired and laid up in Kingston. In 1927, it was officially declared abandoned. Eventually, in 1931, the hull of the Oatland was partly dismantled and scuttled in Lake Ontario near Cape Vincent, New York.
Currently, the wreck of the Oatland lies submerged and poses a danger to surface navigation. Its exact history and source are unknown, but its location is recorded with high positional accuracy at approximately 44.151569° latitude and -76.348° longitude. The wreck rests at a depth of 1 foot and is partially visible, with the least depth measured at 1.2 feet. The vessel was intentionally sunk by the Canadians in 1931 and subsequently broken apart by natural forces.
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