​​​​​​​​​​​​Lake Ontario Shipwreck - Farmer's Daughter 

The Dive​

A few nights later we took a break from searching to explore the new schooner.    After a short boat ride Chris pulled the throttle back into neutral and the boat drifted quietly over the exact spot that the schooner disappeared some unknown years before.

 
The ROV was already on the back deck nearly ready for its decent into history and the 1st step of unlocking the mystery ships identity.  After several minutes of decent a muddy bottom dotted with quagga mussels greeted the ROV.  The ROV’s sector scanning sonar acoustically lit up the wreck a few hundred feet away and Dan steered the ROV towards the ship. 
 

As the ROV approached the 1st thing that came into view was one of the booms lying perpendicular to the deck and extending off the starboard side until it disappeared into the mud.  As Dan turned the ROV in the direction of the boom, the ROV lights reflected off the starboard bow revealing a small but beautifully preserved schooner.  Immediately noticeable on the bow were the starboard anchor slung over the rail, the ship’s windlass and the bow sprit chains connecting it back to the ship’s bow.  Under the bow sprit is an understated bow stem that reaches out as if to point the way. 

Swinging the ROV over the deck several pulley blocks lie about just proud of the mud and quagga mussels.  The forward mast stands about a foot behind the windlass with its lower boom still attached.  The hatch for the forward hold sits just behind the mast. The forward hatch cover is gone likely blown off by the air inside the hold rushing out as the ship sank.  Flying the ROV over to the hatch and looking in revealed an uncommon site for a ship of this age.

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The forward hold is not completely filled with mud.  The top 3 or 4 feet of the hold is empty, then the mud starts but some cargo can be seen sticking though the mud.  It is difficult to make out what the cargo is but it does not appear a bulk cargo such as corn, coal, or feldspar so commonly found in lost schooners.  This cargo appears to have some shape to it and looks like it is possibly stacked rather than indiscriminately shoveled into the hold.
 

Continuing aft we find that the long since rotted away rigging has the left spars across the deck in random fashion.  The aft mast still stands despite the rows of empty deadeyes on the adjacent rails.   Behind the aft mast stands the ship’s bilge pump and the rear hold.  The rear hatch cover is still in place but some of its boards were blown off during the sinking.  Flying the ROV up to the rear hatch and peering in though one of the missing boards reveals two wooden barrels sticking out of the mud in the hold.

Just behind the aft hatch cover is a small cabin.  The cabin’s companion way is open but looking inside reveals nothing but a cabin filled with silt.  The only thing that is noteworthy is a small window in the back of the cabin wall that looks out towards the stern.  Between the cabin and the stern rail sits the ships tiller hard over to starboard and a spare mast lies along the starboard rail.  The life boat davits hang empty off the stern leaving us to wonder if the ship’s crew made a hasty escaped in the dingy before their ship succumbed to the lake.