Orion
Ship stats
Depth: To be announced
Coordinates: To be announced
Vessel Type: Built as wooden propeller, steambarge; converted to barge
Length: 174 feet
Breadth: 30 feet
Gross Tonnage: 846
Cargo: 1050 tons of coal
Built: 1872 by S. Andrew & Son at Welland, Ontario
Port of Registry at Loss: Quebec, Quebec
Owner at Loss: Sincennes-McNaughton Lines, Montreal, Quebec
Date Lost: August 25, 1917
Cause of Loss: Foundered in storm
Loss of Life: 0 of 4
Historical Background
The wooden steambarge Orion was built by S. Andrew & Son of Welland, Ontario in 1872 as Isaac May. As built, Isaac May was 161 feet long, 28 feet in breadth, and with a depth of 13 feet, measuring 558 gross tons.
Isaac May was primarily employed in the Georgian Bay lumber trade on Lake Huron before being sold to Canadian owners in Kingston, Ontario around 1885. In 1891, the steambarge was renamed Orion following a major rebuild. In 1906, Orion was transferred to the Quebec registry. Under Canadian ownership, the steambarge was employed in the lumber and coal trades on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
On August 17, 1907, Orion went ashore in a storm on Calf Island, near Galloo Island in eastern Lake Ontario, while attempting to reach the shelter of Sackets Harbor. Though Orion was released and towed to Kingston and then Montreal for repairs, it was instead stripped of its machinery and converted into a barge.
On August 24, 1917, Orion took on 1050 tons of coal at Fairhaven, bound for Montreal. Taken in tow by the tugboat Conqueror, both vessels proceeded to Oswego to pick up the barge Cataract, departing Oswego around 5:00 a.m. the following morning. By 9:00 a.m., the weather, already unsettled when they had departed, had increased into a westerly gale. Broadside to the waves and heavily loaded, waves washed away Orion’s hatch covers and began to flood the hold. Conqueror, seeing the distress signals raised by Orion’s crew, dropped the towline to Cataract and took aboard Orion’s crew. Shortly thereafter, around 10:00 a.m., the barge foundered approximately 25 miles off of Oswego. Conqueror and Cataract continued on to Sackets Harbor, where Orion’s crew went ashore. At the time of its loss, Orion was owned by the Sincennes-McNaughton Lines of Montreal, Quebec and was valued at $6,000.
The wreck of Orion was first discovered by Mr. Jim Kennard, Mr. Roger Pawlowski, and Mr. Roland Stevens in October 2013. Based on the information available at the time, the site was initially believed to be the steambarge Roberval. In May 2025, NOAA and the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute documented the vessel using a remotely-operated vehicle, determining the wreck to be Orion.
Wreck Site
Photo model of the steambarge Orion. Photo: NOAA/OECI
Orion lies at depths beyond recreational diving limits (130 feet/40 meters) but accessible to technical divers. The bow is intact, rising high above the lake bottom. The deck remains intact to the first hatch with a windlass, anchor, a towing bitt, and a steam-powered hoisting engine remaining on deck. Between the bow and the stern, the deck is broken open and in disarray with the starboard side having collapsed outward. The stern and fantail remain partially intact. An auxiliary boiler lies off the port side of the stern.
