Identification & Site Information

  • Name(s): CELIA
  • Year Built: 1884
  • Official Number: 88624
  • Built At: Stoney Point, Ontario
  • Vessel Type: Schooner
  • Hull Material: Wood
  • Number of Decks: 1
  • Builder: Jacob Desmarais
  • Original Owner: Jacob Desmarais, Stoney Point, Ontario

Vessel Type

A two-masted wooden Schooner, built to serve the coastal and inland lake trades common on Lake Erie in the late 19th century.

Description

The CELIA measured 21 metres (69 feet) in length, with a beam of 5.8 metres (19 feet) and a depth of 1.4 metres (4.5 feet), registering 38.65 gross tons. Her shallow Draft and moderate tonnage made her well-suited for carrying modest general cargoes along smaller ports and coastal communities in Ontario and the American side of Lake Erie.

History

The Schooner CELIA was constructed by Jacob Desmarais at Stoney Point, Ontario, and registered at Windsor, Ontario, on 3 July 1884. She served regional cargo trades for at least a decade, but records about her later movements are sparse.

By 1920, registration records were officially closed with the note that she had been “lost on Lake Erie about 20 years ago”, which places her presumed loss circa 1900. Specific details about the circumstances of her loss, final voyage, cargo, or crew were not preserved in the available documentation.

Final Disposition

  • Final Location: Lake Erie (exact coordinates unknown)
  • Date Lost: Circa 1900
  • How Lost: Presumed Foundered (no detailed report available)
  • Final Cargo: Not specified

Located By & Date Found

There are no confirmed records of the wreck having been located or surveyed.

NOTMARs & Advisories

None noted.

Resources & Links

Conclusion

The CELIA is a typical example of a small late-19th-century Schooner on Lake Erie, reflecting the practical and durable design of regional cargo carriers. While the details of her final loss are unclear, she represents an important part of Ontario’s maritime history, highlighting the thousands of wooden schooners that worked the Great Lakes in this era and then quietly disappeared from the record.

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