AH-WR-0440

Gordon

Dredge Barge · United States · Lost 1879 · Lake Ontario & the St. Lawrence

A dredge barge rammed by its own escort tug in a Lake Ontario gale, sinking with six lives lost including the tug's transferred crew.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The wooden dredge barge Gordon was part of a fleet of dredges, scows, and tugs returning from work on the St. Lawrence River on November 17, 1879, when a gale scattered the tow. The tug Philip Becker, coming alongside to warn of broken tow lines, struck Gordon's stern, damaging the hull. Becker's crew transferred aboard Gordon for safety, but the barge foundered hours later, drowning six of the nine people then aboard. Found by divers Dan Scoville and Chris Koberstein in July 2012 at 500-600 feet, the wreck now lies within the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Towed, dredge machinery aboard
Owners: Hickler & Arnold, Buffalo, New York

Loss

Date: November 18, 1879
Cause: Collision
Location: Lake Ontario, mid-lake en route to Oswego, New York
Water: Lake Ontario
Voyage: Cape Vincent, New York (returning from St. Lawrence River dredging work) → Oswego, New York
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 9
Lives lost: 6
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Bow intact; dredge machinery preserved at the stern
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2012-07
Protection: Within Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary

Position

Coordinates: 43.46° N 76.51° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Oswego, New York
Region: Lake Ontario & the St. Lawrence

General area only: coordinate of Oswego, Oswego County, New York, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named destination place recorded in the loss record for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.