Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Three Brothers
- Type: Dagger-board Schooner
- Year Built: 1827
- Builder: Whitford Gill
- Dimensions: Length: Approximately 45 ft (13.7 m); Beam: Approximately 13 ft (4 m); Depth of hold:
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Lake Ontario, off Oswego, New York
- Coordinates: 43.533251, -76.611083
- Original Owners: Asahel and Bethel Todd, Captain John Stevenson
- Number of Masts: 2
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Three Brothers was a rare dagger-board schooner, a specialized form of early 19th-century Great Lakes cargo vessel. Dagger-board schooners featured a vertically deployed board amidships for stability and performance in shallow or unpredictable conditions. This type was largely replaced by centerboard and keel vessels by the mid-1830s. The Three Brothers is the only fully intact, identified dagger-board schooner discovered on the Great Lakes to date.
Description
Built in 1827 on Galloo Island, Lake Ontario, by early settler and shipwright Whitford Gill, the Three Brothers served the Lake Ontario trade corridor for six years. The schooner was co-owned by Asahel and Bethel Todd of Pultneyville, and her master, Captain John Stevenson of Williamson, New York.
Registered in Sackets Harbor and Genesee, the vessel carried cider, apples, and wheat—agricultural goods central to early 19th-century settlement economies. Her loss and eventual rediscovery shed light on a transitional period in Great Lakes shipbuilding and trade.
History
On November 12, 1833, the Three Brothers departed Pultneyville bound for Oswego with 700 bushels of wheat, barrels of cider, and apples. Caught in a violent Lake Ontario gale, she failed to reach her destination. Within days, pieces of the wreck were discovered near Nine Mile Point, including the tiller, a barrel of apples, and the captain’s hat.
Casualties:
- Captain John Stevenson (Williamson, NY)
- Cephas Field, crew (Sodus, NY)
- William Bastian, crew (Mexico, NY)
- Amos Gloyed, passenger (French Creek, NY)
Significant Incidents
Located in July 2023 by Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens, the schooner was found using DeepVision side-scan sonar. Follow-up exploration in August with a VideoRay Pro IV ROV confirmed its identity as the Three Brothers.
The wreck lies in deep water, well preserved due to Lake Ontario’s cold conditions. The dagger-board is still deployed, rising 4 feet above the deck, and much of the hull remains intact. Masts lie nearby. The anchor is still secured. The rudder was dislodged and is partially buried in sediment.
Final Disposition
Date of Loss: November 12, 1833
Cause: Foundered during gale
Location: Lake Ontario, off Oswego, NY
Preservation: High; dagger-board intact; extensive structural details visible
Ownership: Protected historical site
Access: Technical ROV only; not a recreational dive site
Current Condition & Accessibility
Located By: Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, Roland Stevens
Date Found: July 2023
Survey Completed: August 2023
Depth: Deep (exact not disclosed)
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”three-brothers” title=”References & Links”]
The Three Brothers is a rare and invaluable discovery: the only identified dagger-board schooner in the Great Lakes, preserved and visible in astonishing detail. Its loss during a routine trading run from Pultneyville to Oswego marked the end of a very brief but important ship design era. Its discovery nearly 200 years later not only confirms long-held historical accounts, but adds significant data to the study of early Great Lakes navigation and commercial development.
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.
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
Vessel Name: Three Brothers
Year Built: 1827
Vessel Type: Dagger-board Schooner
Hull Construction: Wood (likely pine and oak)
Number of Decks: 1
Number of Masts: 2
Length: Approximately 45 ft (13.7 m)
Beam: Approximately 13 ft (4 m)
Final Location: Lake Ontario, off Oswego, New York
GPS Coordinates: 43.533251, -76.611083
Date of Loss: November 12, 1833
Cause of Loss: Foundered in gale while carrying agricultural cargo
Vessel Type Description
The Three Brothers was a rare dagger-board schooner, a specialized form of early 19th-century Great Lakes cargo vessel. Dagger-board schooners featured a vertically deployed board amidships for stability and performance in shallow or unpredictable conditions. This type was largely replaced by centerboard and keel vessels by the mid-1830s. The Three Brothers is the only fully intact, identified dagger-board schooner discovered on the Great Lakes to date.
History
Built in 1827 on Galloo Island, Lake Ontario, by early settler and shipwright Whitford Gill, the Three Brothers served the Lake Ontario trade corridor for six years. The schooner was co-owned by Asahel and Bethel Todd of Pultneyville, and her master, Captain John Stevenson of Williamson, New York.
Registered in Sackets Harbor and Genesee, the vessel carried cider, apples, and wheat—agricultural goods central to early 19th-century settlement economies. Her loss and eventual rediscovery shed light on a transitional period in Great Lakes shipbuilding and trade.
Final Voyage and Sinking
On November 12, 1833, the Three Brothers departed Pultneyville bound for Oswego with 700 bushels of wheat, barrels of cider, and apples. Caught in a violent Lake Ontario gale, she failed to reach her destination. Within days, pieces of the wreck were discovered near Nine Mile Point, including the tiller, a barrel of apples, and the captain’s hat.
Casualties:
- Captain John Stevenson (Williamson, NY)
- Cephas Field, crew (Sodus, NY)
- William Bastian, crew (Mexico, NY)
- Amos Gloyed, passenger (French Creek, NY)
Discovery and Survey
Located in July 2023 by Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens, the schooner was found using DeepVision side-scan sonar. Follow-up exploration in August with a VideoRay Pro IV ROV confirmed its identity as the Three Brothers.
The wreck lies in deep water, well preserved due to Lake Ontario’s cold conditions. The dagger-board is still deployed, rising 4 feet above the deck, and much of the hull remains intact. Masts lie nearby. The anchor is still secured. The rudder was dislodged and is partially buried in sediment.
Final Disposition
Date of Loss: November 12, 1833
Cause: Foundered during gale
Location: Lake Ontario, off Oswego, NY
Preservation: High; dagger-board intact; extensive structural details visible
Ownership: Protected historical site
Access: Technical ROV only; not a recreational dive site
Located By and Date
Located By: Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, Roland Stevens
Date Found: July 2023
Survey Completed: August 2023
Depth: Deep (exact not disclosed)
NOTMARs and Advisories
No active NOTMARs
Wreck is not a navigational hazard
Protected heritage site
Resources and Links
SonarGuy Daggerboard Archive: https://sonarguy.com/daggerboard/
3D Wreck Model (Sketchfab): https://skfb.ly/oLuMF
Maritime History of the Great Lakes: www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca
Great Lakes Shipwreck File – C. Patrick Labadie Collection
Conclusion
The Three Brothers is a rare and invaluable discovery: the only identified dagger-board schooner in the Great Lakes, preserved and visible in astonishing detail. Its loss during a routine trading run from Pultneyville to Oswego marked the end of a very brief but important ship design era. Its discovery nearly 200 years later not only confirms long-held historical accounts, but adds significant data to the study of early Great Lakes navigation and commercial development.
Keywords
Three Brothers
1833 Shipwreck
Dagger-board Schooner
Galloo Island Shipbuilding
Lake Ontario Maritime History
Oswego Shipwreck
Jim Kennard Discovery
Pultneyville Merchants
Great Lakes Agricultural Shipping
19th Century Schooner
You must be logged in to post a comment.