BEAVER (1848, Schooner)
Identification & Site Information:
•Vessel Name: BEAVER
•Year of Build: 1848
Construction and Ownership
•Built at: Kingston, Ontario
•Vessel Type: Schooner
•Hull Materials: Wood
•Number of Decks: 1
Power and Masts
•Number of Masts: 2
Hull Dimensions
•Tonnage (Old Style): 200 tons
Vessel Type
The Beaver was a two-masted wooden schooner built in 1848 at Kingston, Ontario. Schooners like the Beaver were commonly used for transporting bulk goods such as grain, timber, and other commodities across the Great Lakes. The vessel played a role in the growing maritime trade on Lake Ontario during the mid-19th century.
History
The Beaver may have originally been the schooner Baltic, built in 1847 and renamed Beaver in 1857. This renaming suggests a possible change in ownership or repurposing of the vessel. The ship was involved in trade between the various ports on Lake Ontario and possibly other Great Lakes.
•1848: Built at Kingston, Ontario, and entered service on Lake Ontario.
•1857: Renamed from Baltic to Beaver.
•1861: The Beaver met its end, wrecked somewhere on Lake Ontario. The details of the wreck are not well-documented, but it was common for ships on the Great Lakes to be lost due to storms, navigation errors, or structural failures.
Final Disposition
The Beaver was wrecked in 1861 on Lake Ontario. The exact location of the wreck is not recorded, nor are the specific circumstances of the incident, but it was likely due to the challenging weather and sailing conditions on the lake.
Located By & Date
There are no known records of the Beaver being located or recovered. It remains one of the many wrecks lost to the waters of Lake Ontario.
Notmars & Advisories
No navigational hazards related to the wreck of the Beaver are currently known, and the location of the wreck is unclear.
Resources & Links
For further exploration of the Beaver’s history, you may consult:
•Maritime History of the Great Lakes
The Beaver is representative of the many schooners that contributed to the vibrant shipping industry on Lake Ontario during the 19th century before succumbing to the lake’s dangerous conditions.
