Although summer on Lake Ontario often brings calm weather, sudden gales could turn deadly for schooners plying the Great Lakes. NOAA has recently released a feature highlighting the 190th anniversary of the violent storm of August 20, 1835, which claimed multiple vessels.
The Wrecks of August 20, 1835
- Schooner Napoleon (1833)
Built in Sackets Harbor, New York, for Thomas S. Hall & Co., Napoleon foundered off Galloo Island while carrying heavy stone. The crew escaped in the ship’s boat and were rescued by the steamboat Oswego before the schooner sank in 30 fathoms of water.
Napoleon Wreck Profile - Schooner Margaret (1835)
A newly launched Kingston schooner, Margaret was capsized off Long Point, Ontario during the gale. Several of her crew drowned, but two men clung to the overturned hull until rescued at dawn by the schooner Comet.
Margaret & Ann Wreck Profile - Schooner Medora (pre-1835)
Owned by T. Wyman of Oswego, Medora was carrying over 3,000 bushels of wheat when she was driven onto Stony Island, Mexico Bay. The schooner was wrecked completely, and all hands were lost, including respected Oswego townsman Thaddeus Clark.
Medora Wreck Profile - Schooner Robert Bruce (pre-1835)
Commanded by Benjamin Chandler of Henderson Harbor, Robert Bruce was lost in ballast near Henderson Point, New York. Wreckage drifted ashore, and passenger Elias Everett of Watertown was among those who perished.
Robert Bruce Wreck Profile
Historical Significance
This storm is remembered as one of the most destructive on Lake Ontario in the early 19th century. Vessels were lost across the lake, from Mexico Bay to Long Point. The tragedy underscores the hazards of Great Lakes navigation during the schooner era, when sudden weather changes could overwhelm even experienced crews.
References & Links
- NOAA Sanctuaries — Feature on the 1835 storm wrecks
- Shotline Diving wreck pages for each vessel (linked above)
- Contemporary newspaper sources: Oswego Palladium (Aug. 26, 1835); Detroit Democratic Free Press (Dec. 7, 1835)