Queen of the Lakes
Ship stats
Depth: To be announced
Coordinates: To be announced
Vessel Type: Three-masted schooner
Length: 129 feet
Breadth: 23 feet
Gross Tonnage: 337
Cargo: Coal
Built: 1857 by George N. Ault at Portsmouth, Ontario (also reported as 1858)
Port of Registry at Loss: Kingston, Ontario
Owner at Loss: Richardson & Sons, Kingston, Ontario
Date Lost: November 28, 1906
Cause of Loss: Foundered in storm
Loss of Life: 0 of 6
Historical Background
The three-masted schooner Queen of the Lakes was built in 1857 by George N. Ault at Portsmouth, Ontario. The schooner was 129 feet long, 23 feet in breadth, and had a 10-foot depth of hold, measuring 337 tons gross. It was assigned Canadian official number 77526.
Originally built for Captain W.R. Taylor of Kingston, Queen of the Lakes operated under numerous owners throughout its 50-year career. Queen of the Lakes was employed in trade with the Upper Lakes, carrying cargoes from ports as far away as Fort William and Port Arthur on Lake Superior to Lake Ontario, as well as trading locally on Lake Ontario. In late 1887 or early 1888, Queen of the Lakes was purchased by James Richardson & Sons of Kingston and rebuilt. Richardson & Sons would operate Queen of the Lakes until its loss 20 years later.
On the evening of November 27, 1906, after having been delayed several days by unsettled weather, Queen of the Lakes departed Charlotte, New York, for Kingston, Ontario. The schooner was laden with 480 tons of coal consigned to James Swift & Company of Kingston. Soon after passing out of the piers at Charlotte and into the lake, the winds stiffened into a gale with the waves building rapidly. As the 50-year-old schooner’s hull was battered by the heavy seas, it sprang a leak. The crew labored at the pumps for hours but were unable to keep up with the leaks. By midnight, November 28, the flooding had worsened and, with waves washing over the deck, it became apparent that Queen of the Lakes would soon founder.
The crew abandoned the schooner to the ship’s boat. Within 10 minutes of leaving the schooner, Queen of the Lakes foundered approximately 8 miles off Sodus Point, New York. Despite the high waves, the crew of six landed ashore safely and rowed into Sodus Bay around 11:00 a.m. the following morning. The schooner Queen of the Lakes, valued at $5,000, and its cargo, valued at $1,700, were both insured.
Queen of the Lakes was discovered in August 2009 by Mr. Jim Kennard, Mr. Dan Scoville, and Mr. Roland Stevens. In May 2025, the site was independently relocated by NOAA and the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute and extensively documented using a remotely operated vehicle.
Wreck Site
A site photo model of the steambarge Adiramled. Credit: OECI/NOAA
The three-masted schooner Queen of the Lakes lies upright and intact at depths accessible to technical diver off Sodus Point, New York.
The hull remains entirely intact, with only the bulwarks of the port bow broken outwards. While the bowsprit has broken off and now lies on the bottom along the starboard side, all three masts remain standing. The gaffs and booms of each mast lie scattered on deck, along with a considerable quantity of wire rope rigging. Among the highlights of the wreck are the windlass, steam hoisting engine and donkey boiler, a capstan, bilge pump, and centerboard winch. At the stern, the ship’s wheel remains in place along with the swing davits that once held the ship’s boat.
