- Schooner
- 60ffw
- 100ft Length
- Amherst Island, Lake Ontario
- N 44′ 08.865 W 76’47.625
William Jamieson, also known as Jamison, was a wooden vessel built in 1878 by W. Jamieson in Deseronto, Ontario. It had a length of 100 feet, a beam of 25 feet, and a depth of 9 feet, with a gross tonnage of 143. It was one of the last working schooners on the Great Lakes when it met its demise.
On May 15, 1923, the William Jamieson was sailing off the north side of Amherst Island on Lake Ontario when it encountered a storm. The vessel began to leak heavily and was abandoned by its crew. It was carrying a cargo of hard coal and was bound from Oswego. Unfortunately, the ship sank, but there was no loss of life.
The William Jamieson was owned by William Savage of Kingston at the time of the accident. The wreckage of the schooner was later located by divers around 1970. Its exact location was recorded as N 44′ 08.865 W 76’47.625 on the north side of Amherst Island.
In the shipping register of the Dominion of Canada, the William Jamieson was listed with official number C75912. It was described as a schooner with two masts and one deck. The vessel was carvel built and had a square stern with no figurehead. It was originally owned by John McLelland and William Cann of Bowmanville, as well as David Galbraith of Whitby. The ownership changed over the years, with Mary Savage of Picton acquiring it in 1905 and Chancy Daryaw of Kingston becoming the owner in 1908.
The schooner had a history of incidents before its final sinking. In 1895, it returned to Port Colborne, Ontario, due to a broken mainmast and headgear. In 1902, it was damaged in a gale near Long Point. In 1916, it encountered distress on Lake Ontario.
According to newspaper reports, the William Jamieson sank in the Upper Gap, about 2 miles off Amherst Island, after attempting to run through the “gap” to safety during the storm. The crew, including Captain Patrick McManus, Captain Savage, Richard Woodcock, Chalmer Hafkeil, and Mrs. Michael Tierney, the cook, managed to reach land in a lifeboat.
Divers located the wreck of the William Jamieson and discovered various artifacts, including a brass compass, steam whistle, lantern, bell, glasses, and crockery. The hull of the vessel was well-preserved, lying in an area with minimal wave action. The bow was shattered, indicating that the ship dove by the head and broke upon impact with the lake bottom.
The sinking of the William Jamieson was reported in newspapers such as the Toronto Globe and the Chicago Inter-Ocean. The vessel had a capacity of 11,000 bushels and was valued at $9,500 when it was launched from the Rathbun & Son yard in Mill Point, Ontario. It was built for Captain Hinckley of Kingston and was intended for the bay trade.
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