AH-WR-0437

Sloop Island Canal Boat (Wreck Z)

Standard Canal Boat · United States · Lost Circa 1915-1920 · Lake Champlain

A family-occupied canal boat that sank suddenly around 1915-1920 with a full household of belongings still aboard, now a Vermont dive preserve.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built after the 1873 Champlain Canal lock expansion, this standard canal boat measured 97 feet long and 17.5 feet wide, towed by mules or horses in the canal and by steamboat or tug on Lake Champlain. It sank suddenly around 1915-1920 near Charlotte, Vermont, apparently while a family of at least three lived aboard; their glassware, dishes, tools, and clothing were left behind and later recovered. The wreck, studied in a 2002-2003 archaeological project tied to the Pine Street Canal Superfund site, is now a Vermont Underwater Historic Preserve open to certified divers.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Registry: VT-CH-843
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: 97 ft
Beam: 17.5 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Towed, no independent propulsion
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: Circa 1915-1920
Cause: Not established
Location: Lake Champlain, near Charlotte, Vermont
Water: Lake Champlain
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Bituminous coal
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 90 ft
Condition: Intact; bow windlass, anchor, deck lights, wheel and steering gear amidships preserved; cabin roof lying off the starboard side
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Vermont Underwater Historic Preserve