Site Orientation #
- Schooner
- 75ft
- 108ft lengt
- Timber Island, Lake Ontario, W76 48 281 N43 58 104
The two-masted schooner Annie Falconer had a history filled with various incidents and changes in ownership. Built in Kingston in 1867 by Foster Jenkins and Company for Capt. W.R. Taylor, the ship was registered in the same port. On May 22nd, 1867, Miss Annie Falconer was launched at the Kingston Shipyard, possibly with sails and rigging supplied by her sailmaker and shipowner father. Her initial owners were listed as Capt. W.R. Taylor and Thomas F. Taylor, with the latter serving as her first master. Departing from Kingston on May 17th on her maiden voyage bound for Toronto, she carried a cargo of 25 toise stone. Throughout her lifetime, the Annie Falconer transported a wide range of cargoes, including stone, lumber, shingles, staves, salt, ice, wheat and barley, corn, coal, and chemical ore.
The vessel often aimed to arrange cargoes for both directions to maximize productivity. It frequently transported grain or lumber products to American ports and returned with coal to Canadian cities. However, like many ships of the time, the Annie Falconer encountered occasional troubles. On June 14, 1874, she struck a rock and sank in the Welland Canal, carrying 410 tons of coal. The ship was later raised, approximately a week after the incident. In October 1887, she faced another challenge when caught in a storm after departing Oswego for Toronto. While the hurricane-force winds caused the loss of another vessel, the Falconer only suffered damage to her mainsail rigging.
In October 1893, the Annie Falconer was caught in yet another storm after leaving Kingston for Oswego. She dragged ashore in Weller’s Bay, breaking her foregaff. With only 1 ½ feet at her bow and her stern on the shore, she remained high and dry throughout the winter. The ship was eventually dragged off in the spring when the water level rose. Interestingly, just three days later, she was loading timber for Oswego, suggesting minimal damage occurred during her time ashore.
On Saturday, November 12, 1904, the Annie Falconer departed from Big Sodus loaded with coal for Picton. As the wind picked up and the vessel reached a point ten miles off False Duck Island, it began to leak. The captain attempted to beach the ship on Timber Island, but around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, it sank. The crew managed to escape in the yawl boat and were blown to the shore of Amherst Island, where they landed at 7:30 in the evening. Unfortunately, Shell Sullivan, the mate, got separated from the rest and succumbed to exposure. The remaining crew members made their way to a farmhouse and survived.
In August 1975, the Annie Falconer was located by Barbara Carson, Audrey Rushbrook, and Doug Pettingill. Subsequently, in 1982, a major survey was conducted on the wreck
You must be logged in to post a comment.