Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: William Doran
- Type: Wooden schooner
- Year Built: 1855
- Builder: Murray (Oak Orchard), New York
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: ~20 tons
- Location: Lake Ontario, between Rochester, NY and Cobourg, Ontario
- Official Number: US 26833
- Number of Masts: Two-masted with square fore-topmast sail
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The William Doran was a small hull schooner (20 tons), originally designed as a “timber drougher” with ports for loading large timbers at the bow and stern. Notably, she was the last schooner on the Great Lakes to carry a square fore-topmast sail.
Description
- Gross Register Tonnage (GRT): ~20 tons
- Hull Material: Wood
- Decks: Single deck
- Masts and Rigging: Two-masted with square fore-topmast sail (unusual late-era rigging)
History
- 1855: Launched as Happy Jack at Oak Orchard, NY
- ~1863: Renamed William Doran (sometimes listed as B. Doran)
- Late 1868: Sold for general cargo service on Lake Ontario
- 25 Nov 1868: Caught in a violent storm between Rochester and Cobourg; sprang a leak, heeled over, and sank rapidly. The captain and four crew members drowned.
Significant Incidents
- Loss Circumstances: Foundered in a storm; capsized and sank with all five onboard perishing, including Captain G.S. Way.
Final Disposition
The schooner foundered with all aboard when overwhelmed by stormy conditions. No survivors. The wreck’s exact location remains unknown, presumed underwater in Lake Ontario between Rochester and Cobourg.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No documented rediscovery. The wreck was never formally surveyed or charted.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”william-doran-happy-jack-us-26833″ title=”References & Links”]
The William Doran (formerly Happy Jack) represents one of the last traditional square-sail schooners on the Great Lakes—emblematic of transitional sailing craft in the mid-19th century. Her storm-driven sinking with total loss of life highlights both the era’s maritime risks and limited safety technology. The absence of an identified wreck site leaves her story preserved only through archival record.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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