The story
An early 19th-century steamer built at Buffalo, New York in 1852, Bay State operated as part of the Northern Transportation Company, carrying passengers and cargo throughout New York and the Midwest. The 137-foot, two-tiered vessel was one of the pioneering screw-propelled steamers on Lake Ontario.
On November 5, 1862, Bay State departed Oswego heading for Cleveland and Toledo. A fierce storm swept Lake Ontario that weekend, causing at least 13 other marine accidents. The vessel began breaking apart in the massive waves, losing sections of her upper decks to high winds before eventually foundering with the loss of all on board — seven passengers and between nine and eleven crew members, including five Oswego residents.
Discovered in 2015 by Jim Kennard and Roger Pawlowski using high-resolution side-scan sonar, the wreck lies in technical diving depths about seven miles off Fair Haven. The hull remains upright but shows natural deterioration. Bay State is believed to be the oldest steam-driven propeller ship discovered in Lake Ontario.
