Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Charles C. Ryan
- Type: Wooden Package Freighter / Steam Barge
- Year Built: 1873
- Builder: S. Andrews & Son, St. Catharines, Ontario
- Dimensions: 136.8 ft (41.7 m); Beam 23.8 ft (7.3 m); Depth of hold 7.6 ft (2.3 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 675 gross tons, 396 net tons
- Location: 20 miles above Point aux Barques, Michigan
- Official Number: US 126622
- Original Owners: Lake & River Steam Ship Co., Hamilton, Ontario
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Wooden Package Freighter (Converted to Steam barge in 1889)Description
The LAKE ONTARIO was built in 1873 in St. Catharines, Ontario, as a package freighter, designed for cargo and passenger transport across the Great Lakes. She was one of three sister ships, including Lake Erie and LAKE MICHIGAN. Over her 17-year career, she underwent several ownership changes, groundings, and repairs, eventually being rebuilt as a steam barge in Buffalo, New York, in 1889 and renamed CHARLES C. RYAN.
The vessel was known for towing barges in the grain and general cargo trade, often running between Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Toledo, and Buffalo. In 1888, she suffered two fires—one at Charlotte, Ontario, and another at Clayton, New York—which led to her sale and reconstruction.
After the Buffalo rebuild in 1889, she was lengthened and strengthened for bulk cargo transport, but her hull was aging.
History
On June 7, 1890, CHARLES C. RYAN (formerly LAKE ONTARIO) was en route from Midland, Ontario, to Buffalo, New York, towing two barges, E. COHEN and JOURNEYMAN, when she sprang a leak in a storm on Lake Huron.
As water flooded the hull, the crew struggled to keep her afloat, but the ship eventually foundered.
Significant Incidents
- One crew member was lost.
- The survivors escaped in a dinghy and drifted on the open lake overnight.
- The next day, the steamer BRECK discovered and rescued them.
Final Disposition
Sprang a leak and foundered in a storm 20 miles above Point aux Barques, Lake Huron, on June 7, 1890.
- One life lost
- Crew rescued the following day by steamer BRECK
- Declared a total loss
Current Condition & Accessibility
Nil—there are no confirmed reports of CHARLES C. RYAN‘s wreck being located.
Parts of the vessel washed ashore near Southampton, Ontario, in June 1890, but the main wreck site remains unknown.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”charles-c-ryanlake-ontario-us-126622″ title=”References & Links”]
The LAKE ONTARIO/CHARLES C. RYAN had a long and eventful career, including fire damage, a rebuild, and numerous accidents, before her final loss in 1890.
Her fate mirrors many aging wooden freighters, which often foundered under the strain of heavy cargo and rough Great Lakes storms.
While portions of her wreck washed ashore, her final resting place remains a mystery in the depths of Lake Huron.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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