Seneca Chief
Steam Yacht · United States · Lost 1896 · The Finger Lakes
A steel-hulled excursion steamer, deliberately sunk after less than a decade of carrying passengers on Canandaigua Lake.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Seneca Chief was launched in 1887 as the first steel-hulled, screw-driven steamboat on Canandaigua Lake, built by David Bell of Buffalo. She carried passengers and light freight for the Canandaigua Lake Steamboat Company through the early 1890s. After less than ten seasons of service she was retired, her engine removed, and the hull towed out and sunk in 1896. Rediscovered in 2014, the wreck has since been nominated to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Vessel
- 1887
- David Bell
- Buffalo, New York
- Steel
- 50 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam, single screw
- Canandaigua Lake Steamboat Co. / Canandaigua Lake Navigation Co.
Loss
- May 11, 1896
- Intentional sinking
- Canandaigua Lake, near Canandaigua Yacht Club
- Canandaigua Lake
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 15 ft
- Largely intact, first steel-hulled screw-driven steamboat on the lake
- Not established
- 2014
- Nominated to New York State and National Registers of Historic Places
Position
- 42.90° N 77.28° W
- Approximate position
- Canandaigua, New York
Position approximated from press accounts of the discovery site near Canandaigua Yacht Club.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)
Exact position and present condition beyond the general discovery account are not fully published.
fltimes.com (Finger Lakes Times)
Build, loss date, and discovery details.
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (National Register nomination)
Historic designation and vessel description.
