Vessel Details
- Type: Two‑masted wooden schooner
- Built: 1854 at Port Dover, Ontario by G. Waterbury
- Dimensions: 97 × 22 × 8 ft; Tonnage: ~170 tons (old style)
Ownership & Career
- Served under Canadian ownership from 1876 onward
- Registered to the Conger Company of Toronto at her final voyage Sketchfab
Final Voyage & Loss (1886)
- On Nov 25, 1886, she departed Sodus, NY carrying 280 tons of coal, bound for Toronto
- Caught in a gale, her sails were torn out and she became unmanageable
- Crew battled the ingress through the night before abandoning ship near Stony Passage on Nov 26, after which the North Star foundered and sank https://skfb.ly/pySPv
NOAA’s 3D Model Release
NOAA’s latest virtual archaeology release provides:
- High-resolution photogrammetry driven by ROV imagery
- A fully navigable 3D wreck site accessible via Sketchfab
- This adds to NOAA’s expanding catalogue of Great Lakes wreck models documented in the Virtual Archaeology Museum
Why this matters:
- Enables detailed structural study, from hull framing to rigging remnants
- Supports non-invasive archaeological research—divers, historians, and scholars can now virtually examine the vessel before any field expedition
- Enhances public access and preservation of marine cultural heritage
Next Steps for Researchers & Divers
- Explore the 3D model on Sketchfab for layout and condition assessment
- Use the model to plan targeted surveys or dives, informed by structural vulnerability, cargo remnants, or hull orientation
- Integrate the data with archival findings—e.g., ship plans, registry logs, and crew manifest—to enrich interpretive work
How to View the Model
Find the model under NOAA / Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary’s Sketchfab collection—search “Schooner North Star (Lake Ontario NMS) – https://skfb.ly/pySPv
Read all about her North Star SLD