AH-WR-0435

Isle La Motte Canal Sloop (Wreck UU)

Canal Sloop · United States · Lost 1846 · Lake Champlain

A stone-laden canal sloop that capsized in a sudden 1846 squall near Rouses Point, drowning its owner as he tried to anchor.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

This wooden canal sloop, first documented in 1982 by the Champlain Maritime Society, is believed linked to an 1846 newspaper account of a stone-carrying sloop that capsized near Rouses Point in a sudden squall, drowning owner Daniel Hall. The vessel's true name remains unconfirmed. It measures nearly 80 feet long with a 13.5-foot beam and lies down at the bow with a starboard list. It is currently under consideration for Vermont's Underwater Historic Preserve program.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Registry: VT-GI-24
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: 79.7 ft
Beam: 13.5 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Daniel Hall (at loss, per 1846 newspaper account, tentative)

Loss

Date: September 2, 1846
Cause: Storm
Location: Lake Champlain, a few miles from Rouses Point, New York
Water: Lake Champlain
Voyage: Gilman's quarry → New fort at Rouses Point, New York
Cargo: Stone
Aboard: 3
Lives lost: 1
Master: Daniel Hall (identification tentative, per 2000 research by Peter Barranco)

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Lies down at the bow with a starboard list, in soft sediment
Orientation: Down at the bow, starboard list
Discovered: 1982
Protection: Under consideration for the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve Program

Position

Coordinates: 44.99° N 73.36° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Isle La Motte, Vermont
Region: Lake Champlain

General area only: coordinate of Rouses Point from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place near which this vessel was lost, not a surveyed wreck position.