The schooner Ocean Wave (1868)

General

1. Port of Picton, Register Number 26, 1868

Notations:

2. NAME: OCEAN WAVE AMERICAN TONNAGE: 98 BUILT BY: Redman [sic. Redmond] BUILT WHERE: Picton BUILT WHEN: 1868 SUPPOSED OWNERS: Currie PORT BELONGING TO: Picton APPROXIMATE VALUE: $6,400 CLASS: A1
3. NAME: OCEAN WAVE Canadian NEW TONNAGE: 98 BUILT WHERE: Picton BY WHOM: D. Tait WHEN: April 1868 Owners: Gedey & Striker PORT OF HAIL: Picton ESTIMATED VALUE: $4,000 CLASS: A1
4. NAME: OCEAN WAVE Schooner AMERICAN TONNAGE: 98 BUILT BY: Redman BUILT WHERE: Picton BUILT WHEN: 1868 SUPPOSED OWNERS: Currie PORT BELONGING TO: Picton CLASS: A2 APPROXIMATE VALUE: $3,800 DATE OF LAST SURVEY: 3/73
5. SAIL VESSELS: OCEAN WAVE Schooner TONNAGE: 98 BULT BY WHOM: Redman BUILT WHERE: Picton BUILT WHEN: 1868 SUPPOSED OWNERS: McMan PORT OF HAIL: Picton VALUE: $3,700 CLASS: A2 DATE OF SURVEY: 2/74
6. OFFICIAL NUMBER: ……… NAME OF SHIP: OCEAN WAVE PORT OF REGISTRY: Picton RIG: Schooner BUILT: 1886 WHERE BUILT: Picton HOW PROPELLED: Sails REGULAR DIMENSIONS: 81 feet X 20 feet x 9.7 REGISTRY TONNAGE: 96 OWNER, OR MANAGING OWNER: Thomas Brokenshire, Cobourg, Ontario.
7. Schooner OCEAN WAVE New Tonnage: 100 Where Built: Picton By Whom: Tait When: 1868 Port of Hail: Picton Owners: Brokenshire & Co. Value: $1,000 Class: B2
8. VESSEL NAME: OCEAN WAVE OFFICIAL NUMBER: CANADIAN BUILD YEAR: 1868 VESSEL TYPE: Schooner BUILD CITY: Picton BUILD STATE: Ontario NUMBER OF DECKS: One HULL MATERIALS: Wood BUILDER’S NAME: John Tait & William Redmond. ORIGINAL OWNER: George Curry & G. Striker. ORIGINAL OWNER’S LOCATION: Picton, Ontario. POWER: Sail SAIL NUMBER: 2 Masts DIMENSIONS: 81’ X 20.1 X 7.6 TONNAGE: Gross 98 FINAL DISPOSITION: Final Location, 15 miles off Oswego, New York, Lake Ontario, 11/9/1890 FINAL NOTES – Bound Trenton, Ontario for Oswego, New York, she capsized and foundered in a gale, taking all 6 of her crew. OWNERSHIP HISTORY: 1871 Owned Geday & Striker, Picton, Ontario. 1873 January 4 Owned: Paul Andrew & Peter Clark, Marysburg 1873 February 8 Owned: P. McMahon, et. al., Marysburg, Ontario, Prince Edward County. 95 net tons 1877 May 10 Owned: Thomas McMahon & John Shannon, Marysburg. 1878 May 18 Owned: Charles A. McDonnel & Perry Howell, Picton. 1881 REPAIRED. 1882 January 16 Owned: Charles A. McDonnel 1886 December 6 Ashore, Port Pulaski, bound for Oswego with 5000 bushels of barley, spent winter ashore. 1890 Owned: Thomas Brokenshire & William Martin. 1890 November 9 WRECKED LAKE ONTARIO.
9. FILE #2185 OCEAN WAVE OFFICIAL NUMBER: Canadian TYPE AT LOSS: schooner, wood, 2 mast BUILD INFO: 1868, Tait & Redmond, Picton, Ontario SPECS: 81 X 20X 8; 96 Tons DATE OF LOSS: November 9, 1890. PLACE OF LOSS: about 15 miles off Oswego, N.Y. LAKE: Ontario TYPE OF LOSS: Storm LOSS OF LIFE: All, 5-6 men CARRYING: barrel parts & shingles. DETAILS: She capsized and foundered in a gale at an unknown position and vessels passing later said through a mass of wreckage, but her yawl and crew disappeared. This was reported to be her last planned trip before her owners/operators retired. They were lost with her. Bound Trenton, Ont, for Oswego. Hailed from Picton. Driven ashore near Port Ontario, N.Y., Lake Ontario, in December in 1886 and spent the winter ashore. Major repairs in 1881. Sources (mmgl, win, clu, tfsl, nsp, osdo, wb, sb, rp, dmt, eas.)
10. OCEAN WAVE, Schooner. Home Port; Picton: On July 11, 1884, vessel collided on Lake Ontario. Damage of $400, Insurance, $1,400. Lake Wreck Report for 1884. Marine Record, December 25, 1884.

See also the entry for the schooner Ocean Wave in our ships Database.

Newspaper transcriptions

11. (Kingston) Daily News May 4 1869 p.2 Shipping News: The schooner OCEAN WAVE arrived at Messrs Henderson & Co’s wharf at 5 o’clock yesterday from Toronto with wheat. She unloaded and left again the same night for the Bay of Quinte, to load wood for Toronto.
12. Daily News May 17 1869 p. 2 Shipping News: Glassford & Jones wharf: Yesterday, OCEAN WAVE, Toronto, 5,600 bushels of wheat.
13. Daily News June 14, 1869 p. 2 Shipping News: The schooner OCEAN WAVE with 5,700 bushels of wheat arrived today.
14. Daily News Saturday 13, 1869 p. 2 Shipping News: The M.T. Company wharf: The schooner OCEAN WAVE arrived this morning from Hamilton with 5,000 bushels of wheat.
15. Daily News October 18, 1870 p. 2 Heavy Gale: ….. At Napanee, OCEAN WAVE run ashore.
16. (Kingston) Daily British Whig October 19, 1870 p.2 Terrific Gale, Damage in The City and Harbour. ElseWhere: At Napanee, schooners OCEAN WAVE, GORMLEY, and MARY FOX are ashore.
17. Daily News May 17, 1872 p. 2 Marine News: A dispatch says that the barge DAUNTLESS has received several shipments including wheat from schooner OCEAN WAVE.
18. The Toronto Mail; Monday June 3 1872 Marine Intelligence: Port of Toronto, June 1: ARRIVED: OCEAN WAVE, Oswego, coal.
19. Daily News June 6, 1872 p.4 Marine News: Montreal Transportation Company wharf: OCEAN WAVE from Toronto, 5418 bushels of wheat.
20. Daily News October 8, 1873 p. 1 Marine News: Montreal Transportation Co. wharf: OCEAN WAVE from Hamilton with 5488 bushels of wheat.
21. The Toronto Mail; Tuesday, November 25 1873; South Bay; November 24: The schooner OCEAN WAVE, loaded with rye, went ashore last night in a snow squall, seven miles west of South Bay Point.
22. British Whig; November 26, 1873 p.2. Milford – The tug HIRAM CALVIN brought in the OCEAN WAVE all right at one a.m. All credit to John Donnelly and his expedition. Three vessels saved in a week by his efforts and timely assistance.
23. The Toronto Mai; Thursday, November 27, 1873; Milford, Nov 26: The tug HIRAM WALKER brought in the OCEAN WAVE all right at one o’clock this morning.
24. The Toronto Mail; Friday December 12, 1873. South Bay; December 11: Vessels laid up for the winter in Black Creek, the OCEAN WAVE and CLARA WHITE.
25. Daily News May 12, 1876 p. 2 Marine Notes: Montreal Transportation Co: The schooner OCEAN WAVE, from Port Whitby with 3745 bushels of peas.
26. British Whig November 3, 1877 P. 3 Marine: The OCEAN WAVE was reported ashore at Wolfe Island, but this rumour turned out to be untrue.
27. British Whig May 27, 1878 p. 3 Wind Wafts: Chicago Forewarding Company; ARRIVALS: Schr OCEAN WAVE, Trenton, 5619 bushels wheat.
28. Daily News October 1, 1878 p. 1 Barley Shipments; Napanee Dealers: Diamond & Sherwood: OCEAN WAVE, 5600 bushels.
29. British Whig July 8 1880 p.3 Marine: ARRIVALS: Kingston, OCEAN WAVE, from Toronto with 5,300 bush. Wheat.
30. British Whig October 2, 1880 p.3. MISSING VESSELS, FOUR DIFFERENT VESSELS ENQUIRED AFTER. SENSATIONAL REPORTS CURRENT. …………. Kingston enquires for OCEAN WAVE and OLIVE BRANCH. Port Hope enquires about GREAT WESTERN…. The OCEAN WAVE is owned in Picton. A telegram from Picton says: …. OCEAN WAVE left Oswego Tuesday night for Picton, since which nothing has been heard from her. The OCEAN WAVE was of 5,000 bushels capacity, and owned by McDonald & Merrill, of Picton. She carried 5 men all told. John Brown as Captain, Shannon as Mate, crew of James Kage, George Flake and Shearer.
31. Oswego Palladium (N.Y.) Monday October 4, 1880: The OCEAN WAVE is still missing when we went to press Saturday evening is heard from and safe. OLIVE BRANCH is still missing. October 4 – Kingston reports schr GREAT WESTERN has arrived at Port Hope all right.
32. Oswego Palladium November 11, 1880. Drift wood from the Storm: South Bay: OCEAN WAVE was one of several schooners that had to return to port because of the gale’s high seas. She was attempting to reach Oswego.
33. British Whig June 3, 1881 p. 3 Marine Intelligence: ARRIVALS: Schooner WAVE CREST, 4054 bushels wheat
34. British Whig June 15, 1881 p. 2 Marine Notes: ARRIVALS: Schr OCEAN WAVE, Toronto, wheat.
35. British Whig August 27, 1881 p. 3 Marine Notes: The schooner OCEAN WAVE is undergoing repairs at Picton.
36. British Whig July 31, 1882 p. 3 Marine Notes: CLEARED: Schooner OCEAN WAVE, Charlotte.
37. British Whig August 7, 1882 p. 3 Marine Intelligence: The schooner OCEAN WAVE, from Fairhaven, brought over142 tons of coal.
38. British Whig September 4, 1882 p. 3 Excursion on a Schooner: The schooner OCEAN WAVE in the Thousand Islands with a party from Picton.
39. British Whig April 7, 1884 p. 1 Marine Matters: Picton; OCEAN WAVE, repairs and fitting out.
40. British Whig July 11, 1884 p. 3 Marine Intelligence: The steam barge SAXON ran into the schooner OCEAN WAVE near the stone mills, tearing to pieces her upper works near the bow and carrying away her bowsprit and jib boom. The schooner was towed to Deseronto.
41. Toronto Globe & Mail, Wednesday May 13, 1885 Page 6. Navigation: Oswego May 12; Arrivals: Schr OCEAN WAVE; Picton.
42. Toronto Globe & Mail, Thursday May 14, 1885 Page 7. Navigation. Vessel Movements; Oswego N.Y. Cleared: May 13: Schooner OCEAN WAVE; Black River Bridge.
43. Toronto Globe & Mail Thursday May 21 1885; Oswego; May 20. Arrivals: Schr OCEAN WAVE; Black River Bridge
44. Toronto Globe & Mail Friday May 22 1885 Oswego, May 21 Arrivals since yesterday noon; Schr OCEAN WAVE from Trenton.
45. Toronto Globe & Mail Saturday, June 6, 1885, Page 11. Kingston Notes, June 5. ARRIVALS: OCEAN WAVE, Wellington, 4265 bushel s, peas.
46. Toronto Globe & Mail Monday June 8, 1885. Page7. Kingston Notes – June 6: The only departure is that of the schooner OCEAN WAVE, for Wellington to finish cargo. She took on peas here.
47. Weekly British Whig December 10, 1885 p. 2 The schooner OCEAN WAVE is loading barley at Napanee, consigned to Macaulay & Co.
48. British Whig April 22, 1886 p. 3 Marine Intelligence: The schooner OCEAN WAVE is being fitted out.
49. British Whig July 24, 1886 p. 2 Late Local Items: The schooner OCEAN WAVE cleared for Cobourg yesterday with stone, shipped by J.W. Brown.
50. British Whig July 31, 1886 p.3 Marine Intelligence: Arrivals: Schr. OCEAN WAVE, Charlotte, 142 tons of coal.
51. Oswego Times & Express, Friday December 3, 1886 OCEAN WAVE (schr) AGROUND; The OCEAN WAVE, Lying in the sand at Port Ontario. The Captain’s Statement, Pulaski, Dec 3 --- The schooner OCEAN WAVE came ashore opposite the old light house at Port Ontario about 2:30 o’clock this afternoon. She is a small fore & aft schooner with 5,000 bushels of barley, for Oswego. Her crew are as follows; Captain Wm. Martin, mate, Albert Palmateer, seaman John Pierce, Mark Hare, Robert Mordaunt, George Pierce, a boy cook. The Captain makes the following statement: “We left Wellington, Ont, yesterday morning but owing to the storm were forced to seek Williards bay at 10 o’clock in the evening on account of ice forming so fast in the bay. The weather was fine until near morning when it came on so thick we could not make out any land. We came past Oswego without observing it. We drifted into Mexico bay, not knowing where we were. We could have kept out a little longer but thought best to go ashore before dark as the chances of saving our lives would be better. As soon as the vessel struck we attempted to reach the land in our small boat but were capsized almost immediately and had great difficulty in reaching the shore. The vessel and men were coated with ice and we suffered greatly.” The captain and his men received all the needed assistance after reaching shore , and are comfortably quartered awaiting assistance from Oswego. Should the weather be calm, an attempt will be made to get the schooner off, as she lies easy in the sand broadside on. In cutting the frozen clothing from the sailors, a young man named Bunn had his hand severly cut, almost severing it at the wrist.
52. Oswego Times & Express, Saturday December 4, 1886. The OCEAN WAVE ASHORE. Abandoned by the crew off Port Ontario. The Vessel Becomes Unmanageable on Account of the Ice: The crew escape in the boat and get ashore. Pulaski December 4. Yesterday afternoon the schooner OCEAN WAVE left Wellington with 5,000 bushels of barley consigned to Gaylord, Downey & Co. of Oswego. The crew consisted of Captain Martin, Mate Palmatier, and Seaman Pierce, Hare, Mordaunt, and a boy of 14 years of age named George Pierce. Yesterday they sighted the lighthouse at Port Ontario and thought it was Sodus. Seeing that the schooner must go ashore they took the small boat and got ashore. The sails and rigging of the schooner were so encrusted with ice that she had become entirely unmanageable. All the efforts of the crew could not move the sails. None on board the OCEAN WAVE recognized the shore when they sighted it. In reaching the shore the boat was swamped but with the assistance of the people on shore they were brought safely to land. The schooner went on the beach shortly after the crew escaped. She lies easily and is apparently unhurt and if the cargo can be got out may be released. Captain Ripsum and other sailor residents of Pulaski went down to Port Ontario yesterday and assisted as far as they were able.
53. Mexico Independent December 6 1886: Last Saturday night news reached this place that a small schooner was ashore at Selkirk. Yesterday (Sunday) morning Capt. Chapman of the Life Saving Service, accompanied by H.L. Dennis, drove to Selkirk and found that the schooner OCEAN WAVE, with 10,000 (sic) bushels of barley, was on the beach near where the old pier was formerly located. The vessel was not seriously injured and if the weather is favourable will be got safely off. The crew got ashore in their own boat. They suffered considerably, as the boat capsized and thoroughly soaked them all in the freezing ice water, but there was plenty of help from shore. They were all taken care of and after being warmed and dried they were apparently good as new. A tug was expected from Oswego to tow the vessel to a place of safety. The mercury in this place on Sunday morning was 10 degrees below zero. It raised during the day to 15 degrees above.
54. Watertown Daily Express, December 14, 1886: On Monday, December 6, 1886 the schooner OCEAN WAVE went ashore at Port Ontario a few days ago, has been stripped of her canvas and rigging and will be hauled out on the shore for the winter. About 2,500 bushels of her cargo have been taken out dry and the rest will be saved.
55. Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, May 21, 1888. - A Picton dispatch this afternoon says: The schr WM. ELGIN sprung a leak Saturday afternoon (May 19th), 16 miles from Oswego and sunk…. The crew were picked up by the OCEAN WAVE.
56. British Whig May 31, 1888 p. 8 Marine Paragraphs: ARRIVALS: schooner OCEAN WAVE, Oswego, 144 tons of coal.
57. British Whig July 26 1888 p. 8 Marine Paragraphs: The schooner OCEAN WAVE is being loaded with lumber for Oswego.
58. British Whig May 3, 1889 p.8 Marine Intelligence: ARRIVALS: schr OCEAN WAVE, Oswego, light.
59. Saginaw Courier-Herald, Wednesday, November 12, 1890: OCEAN WAVE, Schooner capsized on November 11, 1890. The schooner OCEAN WAVE, lumber laden, capsized on Lake Ontario, Sunday and nothing is known of her crew.
60. British Daily Whig, Kingston. November 12, 1890: Loss of the Schooner OCEAN WAVE. Found capsized 15 miles North of Oswego.
61. Daily British Whig. November 12 1890. The Capt. Of the tug PROCTOR reports that off the Ducks he passed a quantity of broken lath etc. Old sailors say that there is little chance that the bodies will be found this season, as the schooner undoubtedly capsized in mid-lake. The wife of the late Capt. Brokenshire states that there were five persons on the OCEAN WAVE, her husband, Capt. Brokenshire, William Martin, Port Hope, Mr. Smith, Port Hope, Mr. Wells, Belleville, and a unknown man. Captain Brokenshire’s son was not on the vessel as reported. Mrs. Brokenshire has four children at home, the oldest of whom is twelve, and the youngest four years of age.
62. British Whig November 12, 1890 Marine Intelligence: Loss of the OCEAN WAVE: The schr, found capsized near Oswego, was owned by the captain and mate and had been in the employ of the Downey Co., of Belleville off and on for years. She left Belleville port on Thursday last for Trenton after having discharged her second cargo of coal for Capt. Eccles. At Trenton she took on a heavy deck load of lumber, lathe and heading and put out for Oswego on Friday. On the way down the bay she put into Belleville and shipped Joseph Wells, which completed her crew. The schooner was found about 15 miles off Oswego, bearing north, lying on her side with spars in the water and stern washing out. There was no one aboard. It will be difficult to tow her to port in her present condition. She was a light draught vessel and of the small class. Her capacity was not more than 100,000 feet of lumber. The storm on the lakes on Sunday night was the most terrific ever experienced by the oldest mariners.
63. Daily British Whig, November 13, 1890. The schooner FLEETWING arrived this morning with coal for Swfit’s from Fairhaven. Capt. Shaw states that on route for Fairhaven last Tuesday that they saw the wreck of the OCEAN WAVE and ran close alongside. Contrary to the statements of others he saw that the yawl boat was not tied to the stern, in fact the wrecked vessel had been washed away by the seas.
64. References to the schooner Ocean Wave appear in C.H.J Snider's work:
    Schooner Days LXXXII (82) Ocean Wave and Cherry Valley, 1 Apr 1933
    Schooner Days CCVIII (208) Flame-Light In Olivia’s Life-Log, 5 Oct 1935

References and source notes

(1) SHIPPING REGISTER of PICTON, 1851 to 1882
(2) Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters, Lake Vessel Register 1869, PAGE 20
(3) Classification of Lake Vessels and Barges, April 1, 1871. PAGE 76
(4) Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters, Lake Vessel Register 1873 Page 23
(5) Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters, The Marine Register 1874 Page 27
(6) Sessional Papers, (No. 15), Department of Marine, Ottawa 1887 Page 279
(7) Inland Lloyds 1890 Vessel Register, Canadian Hulls, Page 34. Online Resource, Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Kingston, Ontario; Reel 20.
(8) from newspaper clippings, Donald V. Baut, David Swazye Shipwreck database,csd, Canadian Registers, Canadian List of Shipping, Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory
(9) Total losses of Great Lakes ships, 1679 – 1999. By Dave Swayze © 1998-2001, David D. Swayze, Lake Isabella, Michigan.
(10-63) Online Resource, Maritime History of the Great Lakes., Kingston, Ontario. Newspaper Donations to the Marine History of the Great Lakes; Canadian, Mr. William McNeil of Toronto, and Mr. Rick Neilson of Kingston. American newspapers by Richard Palmer.
(64) C.H.J. Snider Schooner Days index, Naval Marine Archive.