Philip Becker
Tugboat · United States · Lost 1879 · Lake Ontario & the St. Lawrence
A steam tug that struck a dredge in a Lake Ontario gale, then sank, its crew perishing after transferring to the very vessel it had gone to warn.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1876 at Buffalo, the wooden tug Philip Becker was assisting a large tow of dredges and scows returning from work on the St. Lawrence River when a violent gale struck on November 17, 1879. While alerting the dredge Gordon that scows had broken loose, Becker collided with Gordon's stern, damaging her own hull. Her three crew transferred to Gordon, but that dredge foundered hours later, drowning all aboard including the Becker's crew. The wreck was located in 2022 and formally identified by NOAA and partners in 2025, lying largely intact off Oswego.
Vessel
- 1876
- US official no. 150085
- James LeRock
- Buffalo, New York
- Wood
- 48 ft
- 13 ft
- 29
- Steam, single screw
- Hickler Brothers, Buffalo, New York
Loss
- November 18, 1879
- Storm
- Lake Ontario, mid-lake en route toward Oswego, New York
- Lake Ontario
- Cape Vincent, New York → Oswego, New York
- Not established
- 3
- 3
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 295 ft
- Upright and largely intact; pilot house collapsed, ship's wheel lying on deck
- Upright
- 2022
- Within Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Oswego, New York
NOAA's Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary wreck profile for Philip Becker (identified in 2025 from a 2022 discovery off Oswego) explicitly lists 'Coordinates: to be announced,' and a dive-resource summary likewise lists the coordinates as 'Unknown.'
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
NOAA Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary
Build details, loss narrative, and identification.
