- Schooner
- 90ffw 30m
- 136Ft Lengths
- Main Duck, Lake Ontario
- N 43 53.035 W 76 50.515
n 1856, the barque R.H. Rae was owned by Louis Shickluna from Saint Catharines, Ontario. However, in 1858, tragedy struck when the ship capsized in Lake Ontario. Efforts were made by the Boston Marine Company to raise the vessel in 1859, but they were unsuccessful.
In 1976, the wreck of the R.H. Rae was located by Barb Carson, and in 1980, a diver from Jacques Cousteau’s team was lost while exploring the wreck. In 1996, the wreck was rediscovered by Ducks Dive/Chris Kohl and became accessible for public diving.
The R.H. Rae, built in 1857 by Donaldson & Andrews in St. Catharines, Ontario, was a three-masted wooden bark measuring 136 feet in length, 23 feet in beam, and 11 feet in depth. It had a tonnage of 344. The ship met its tragic fate on August 3 or 4, 1858, during a storm off Duck’s Creek, south of Point Traverse in Lake Ontario. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, as the crew was able to abandon the ship and was rescued by the propeller COLONIST.
The R.H. Rae was known for its innovative features, such as Cunningham’s patented self-reefing topsail design, which allowed for quick and efficient reefing of the sails. It also had strong iron bars placed behind each mast, enhancing the vessel’s strength and watertight integrity.
The ship was named after a well-known Arctic navigator of the time and was initially intended for trans-Atlantic trade. It had a successful launch in October 1857, receiving high praise for its naval architecture and classification as A-1, the highest rating. The R.H. Rae made its first voyage under the command of Captain Bowman to Chicago and back before its ill-fated journey to Montreal in 1858, where it carried a cargo of wheat.
The wreck of the R.H. Rae is currently in relatively good condition, considering it has been on the bottom of Lake Ontario for 138 years. It rests upright on its keel, with the hull, pointed bow, and squared-off transom still intact. Various artifacts, such as blocks, deadeyes, pottery, and tools, can be found scattered on the deck. Notably, the wreck features a split rudder system with a tiller gear steering system.
