HMS Ontario (1780)

HMS "Ontario" was a British warship that sank in a storm in Lake Ontario on October 31, 1780, during the American Revolutionary War.

She was a 22-gun brig-sloop, and, at ]

Search and discovery

Location map+|USA New York|width=300|caption=Search area on Lake Ontario|places= Location map~|USA New York|lon_dir=W|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=43|lat_min=27|lon_deg=76|lon_min=30|label=Oswego|position=right Location map~|USA New York|lon_dir=W|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=43|lat_min=15|lon_deg=79|lon_min=3|label=Fort Niagra|position=bottom Location map~|USA New York|lon_dir=W|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=43|lat_min=15|lon_deg=77|lon_min=36|label=Rochester|position=topSophisticated side-scan sonar technology was used in the search of HMS "Ontario" in late May 2008.cite news|date=June 14, 2008|publisher=The Star|accessdate=2008-06-14|url=http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/443161|title=Finding HMS Ontario's grave] A promising wreck was found between Niagara and Rochester, NY in an area of Lake Ontario where the depth exceeds convert|492|ft|m. The sonar imagery clearly showed a large sailing ship resting upright at an angle, with two masts reaching up at least convert|70|ft|m above the bottom of the lake. The high resolution images showed the remains of two crow's nests on each mast, strongly suggesting that the sunken vessel was the brig-sloop "Ontario". Due to the depth limitations for diving on this shipwreck, a remotely operated underwater vehicle was deployed and confirmed the identity of the ship in early June 2008.

Kennard and Scoville believe that the cold, fresh water of Lake Ontario, combined with a lack of light and oxygen, have slowed decomposition and account for the ship being found largely intact despite being on the bottom for over 225 years. The shipwreck's discoverers have notified the New York State Office of Historic Preservation, however the exact location of the wreck has not been publicly disclosed. The wreck is technically still considered property of the British Admiralty and as such, will be treated as a war grave.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7454578.stm|publisher=BBC News|date=June 14, 2008|accessdate=2008-06-14|title=Divers find 1780 British warship]

ee also

*Land Tortoise (shipwreck), a well-preserved older shipwreck in Lake George

Notes

Further reading

*cite book|url=http://books.google.com.au/books?id=nkgFAAAACAAJ|title=Legend of the Lake: The 22-gun Brig-sloop Ontario, 1780|author=Arthur Britton Smith|date=1997|isbn=1550821865|publisher=Quarry Press

External links

* [http://www.inlandseas.org/ Great Lakes Historical Society]
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25145600/ msnbc Report]
*YouTube|zF_5RtN3nvU|HMS "Ontario" video