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5. St. Peter

St. Peter

Historical Background

The three-masted schooner St. Peter was built in Toledo, Ohio, in 1873 by David F. Edwards. The schooner measured 136.7 feet long, with a 26-foot beam, and a 12-foot depth of hold, measuring 289.97 gross tons. Intended for trade with Lake Ontario through the Welland Canal trade, the schooner’s dimensions were designed to carry 18,000 bushels of grain while fitting through the locks of the canal. St. Peter was owned by and built for the shipping firm Skidmore & Abair of Toledo, Ohio, alongside its identical sistership, John Wesley, launched the previous year. St. Peter was assigned U.S. official number 115232.

Skidmore and Abair operated the schooner until 1894, when they sold it to Josephine Griffin of Toledo. Josephine Griffin’s husband, Captain John Griffin, would serve as its master for the next four years.

On October 26, 1898, St. Peter departed Oswego with 607 tons of coal consigned to S.C. Schenk Co. of Toledo, Ohio. By that evening, St. Peter was approaching the Niagara River when it was struck by a westerly gale. The crew took in sail and ran eastward with the wind in an attempt to weather the storm. The schooner was sighted in distress off of Charlotte, and the tug William A. Proctor was dispatched to assist, but returned without having found the schooner. Proctor was again dispatched after St. Peter was reported 10 miles to the east of Charlotte. While off Pultneyville, New York, and with Proctor in sight, the schooner was struck by two successive waves, listing heavily to port, before righting and foundering suddenly. The crew of four, as well as Josephine Griffin, perished in the sinking. The sole survivor, Captain John Griffin, was rescued by Proctor after clinging to a topmast, which protruded above the waves.

Wreck Site

Three-dimensional site photo model of St. Peter shipwreck. Click an hold using your mouse to rotate the model. Photo: NOAA

St. Peter is one of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary’s most popular and well-preserved shipwreck sites resting within recreational diving depths. St. Peter lies in 125 feet of water, making it a dive for experienced divers only. St. Peter remains largely intact, though portions of the stern sustained damage during the sinking. The bow and bowsprit remain intact and are the highlight of the dive. Other interesting features at this site include the windlass, bilge pumps, a capstan, a winch, and the ship’s rudder.

St. Peter was discovered by Robert Bristol in 1971. Between 1971 and 1974, artifacts were recovered from the site under a permit from the New York State Museum. These artifacts are presently displayed by the Pultneyville Historical Society. In 2002, the Pultneyville Historical Society led efforts that resulted in the listing of St. Peter in the National Register of Historic Places, the only wreck within the sanctuary listed at the time of the designation in 2024.

In 2019, NOAA divers visited St. Peter, collecting photographs and capturing a photo model of the site. Documentation of the site by NOAA archaeologists is ongoing.