Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Grampus
- Type: Canadian wooden-hulled schooner
- Year Built: Estimated between 1865–1875 (exact registry not confirmed)
- Builder:
- Dimensions:
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Lake Ontario (exact coordinates unknown)
- Number of Masts: Two
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Grampus was a traditional two-masted Canadian wooden schooner, strongly built for the rigours of heavy cargo transport. Scow-type hull features and a shallow draft enabled her to serve ports around Lake Ontario with oak, grain, and other bulk goods. These vessels were economic workhorses of the era, though vulnerable in severe storms.
Description
The Grampus worked Lake Ontario’s timber trade, carrying oak and similar products vital to construction markets. She had reportedly undergone repairs in the October prior to her loss, after sustaining damage from a gale.
Once back in service, she loaded a heavy shipment of oak timber for her next trip. During a powerful gale — almost certainly a late-fall nor’easter — the schooner broke amidships under the strain of cargo and storm-driven seas.
History
The Grampus was wrecked alongside the schooner Ainsworth, both succumbing to the same storm. Reports indicate the Grampus broke in two and was unsalvageable, while the timber cargo scattered.
Significant Incidents
The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service rescued both crews the morning after the gale, using their cutter’s yawl to ferry the sailors safely from the wreck site.
Final Disposition
The wreck site of the Grampus has never been formally charted or located by divers. It is believed to lie off Lake Ontario near the Ainsworth wreck area, but no confirmed coordinates are recorded.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The Grampus is likely scattered on the lake bottom. Given the breakup amidships and the natural dispersal of her timber cargo, any remains are almost certainly deeply buried in sediment and difficult to detect.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”grampus-c1859″ title=”References & Links”]
The loss of the Grampus underscores the hazards of Great Lakes shipping in the 19th century, especially for timber schooners late in the season. Despite her repairs and refit, the schooner could not survive the storm’s force, but her crew was saved thanks to the emerging professionalism of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service.
Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record
This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.
GRAMPUS (Canadian Schooner, circa 1870s)
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Grampus
- Type: Canadian wooden-hulled schooner
- Year Built: Estimated between 1865–1875 (exact registry not confirmed)
- Final Resting Place: Lake Ontario (exact coordinates unknown)
- Cargo at Time of Loss: Oak timber
- Date of Incident: Likely late October–early November storm, circa 1870–1880 (based on typical timber trade and Revenue Cutter rescue logs)
- Crew Rescued: All hands saved by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service
Vessel Type Descriptio
The Grampus was a traditional two-masted Canadian wooden schooner, strongly built for the rigours of heavy cargo transport. Scow-type hull features and a shallow draft enabled her to serve ports around Lake Ontario with oak, grain, and other bulk goods. These vessels were economic workhorses of the era, though vulnerable in severe storms.
History
The Grampus worked Lake Ontario’s timber trade, carrying oak and similar products vital to construction markets. She had reportedly undergone repairs in the October prior to her loss, after sustaining damage from a gale.
Once back in service, she loaded a heavy shipment of oak timber for her next trip. During a powerful gale — almost certainly a late-fall nor’easter — the schooner broke amidships under the strain of cargo and storm-driven seas.
Final Disposition
The Grampus was wrecked alongside the schooner Ainsworth, both succumbing to the same storm. Reports indicate the Grampus broke in two and was unsalvageable, while the timber cargo scattered.
Rescue Operations
The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service rescued both crews the morning after the gale, using their cutter’s yawl to ferry the sailors safely from the wreck site.
Located By & Date
The wreck site of the Grampus has never been formally charted or located by divers. It is believed to lie off Lake Ontario near the Ainsworth wreck area, but no confirmed coordinates are recorded.
Notmars & Advisories
There are no current Notices to Mariners (NOTMARs) for this wreck, and it is not marked as a navigational hazard today.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The Grampus is likely scattered on the lake bottom. Given the breakup amidships and the natural dispersal of her timber cargo, any remains are almost certainly deeply buried in sediment and difficult to detect.
Resources & Links
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Great Lakes Vessels Index (BGSU)
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Library and Archives Canada
- NOAA Great Lakes Shipwrecks
Conclusion
The loss of the Grampus underscores the hazards of Great Lakes shipping in the 19th century, especially for timber schooners late in the season. Despite her repairs and refit, the schooner could not survive the storm’s force, but her crew was saved thanks to the emerging professionalism of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Grampus
- Canadian schooner
- Lake Ontario shipwreck
- Timber trade
- Revenue Cutter Service
- Great Lakes gale
- 19th-century maritime loss