Marie Annette – Lake Ontario Steamer Shipwreck (1898)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Marie Annette
• Type: Sailing Vessel
• Year Built: 1867
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage:
• Location: Off Long Point, Lake Ontario

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A wooden-hulled sailing vessel—likely a schooner—custom-built to transport lumber along Lake Ontario’s busy trade routes. Exact dimensions and tonnage remain undocumented and require further archival review.

Description

The Marie Annette was primarily engaged in the lumber trade, reflecting the economic activities of the late 19th century in the region.

History

• Until 1898: Regularly engaged in outbound lumber transport from Port Hope throughout her operational lifespan (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
• August 15, 1898: While setting out from Port Hope, Marie Annette “sprang a serious leak off Long Point, Lake Ontario. She settled to her decks, but was picked up by a tug and towed to Ogdensburg.” (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
• Post-salvage: Towed from Ogdensburg to Kingston; her hull was deemed “seriously strained” during transit and she was “abandoned without rebuilding.” (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).

Despite repeated references, there is no detailed publicly accessible Canadian steamer record listing her loss in 1898, and little additional detail survives beyond this summary (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).

Significant Incidents

• Immediate fate: Temporary salvage via tug tow to Ogdensburg.
• Aftermath: Moved to Kingston but ultimately abandoned due to irreparable hull damage. No formal reconstruction was attempted.

Final Disposition

The final resting site of the abandoned vessel is unknown. While hull failure occurred off Long Point, the wreck is presumed broken up or scuttled near Kingston post-abandonment; no documented dive or survey data exists in major Great Lakes wreck databases.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No official Notices to Mariners or hazard designations have been located referencing Marie Annette. The lack of recorded wreck location suggests the wreck did not persist as a navigational hazard or that it remained near harbour areas and was cleared.

Resources & Links

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The Marie Annette represents a typical late-19th-century merchant schooner essential to the lumber trade on Lake Ontario. Her loss occurred due to structural failure in transit, followed by partial salvage but eventual abandonment due to severe hull damage. The absence of detailed records highlights a common fate for mid-sized working craft of the era. Locating archival documentation in Kingston or Ogdensburg may enable a fuller reconstruction of her final days—or perhaps even uncover remains of her hull.