Identification & Site Information

Name: John Wesley
Type: Wooden Schooner (later classified as Tug/workboat)
Year Built: 1838 (alternate source: 1860 as a scow Schooner built on the Hull of Challenge)
Builder: Oakville or Picton, Ontario (sources differ)
Final Location: Whitby Harbour, Ontario
Date of Loss: December 1897
Coordinates: Not documented; presumed near west pier in Whitby Harbour
Disposition: Burned and sank while frozen in harbour ice

Vessel Type Description

The John Wesley was a small, wooden-hulled Schooner, later used as a workboat or Tug in the stone trade. Built either originally in Oakville in 1838 or in 1860 using the salvaged Hull of the Schooner Challenge, the vessel was a utilitarian design—flat-bottomed, with a shallow Draft suitable for Ontario’s shoreline cargo operations. She would have been considered modest even in her day, a “homely Schooner” by contemporary descriptions.

History

Over a lifespan that may have approached 60 years, the John Wesley served under various owners across Ontario, including James Atkin (Picton), William E. Lobb & Peter Clark (South Marysburg), Alex Vre, James Young (Pickering), John Maloney and E.D. Newton (Toronto), and Michael Mullins (Belleville). She frequently changed hands and was used for short-haul cargo, likely including stone, coal, and farm goods.

During her final decades, the vessel aged into obsolescence. By the mid-1890s, she was laid up and no longer actively engaged in shipping. Her last known activity was mooring in Whitby Harbour for winter layup.

Final Disposition

In December 1897, while icebound in Whitby Harbour, the John Wesley was reportedly set on fire by skaters, or accidentally ignited during a social gathering. The wooden Hull caught fire and the vessel burned down to the waterline before sinking in place west of the pier. No efforts were made to salvage or recover her.

Cause of Loss: Fire while icebound
Casualties: None
Final Status: Total Loss; presumed buried beneath sediment in harbour
Insurance: None recorded

Located By & Date

Status: Not located or surveyed
Discovery Efforts: None documented
Presumed Location: West side of Whitby Harbour pier, near winter mooring

Notices to Mariners & Advisories

No official advisories or NOTMARs are associated with the wreck site. The presumed wreck location lies within a modern harbour basin and likely poses no navigational hazard.

Resources & Links

Maritime History of the Great Lakes (www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca)
David Swayze Shipwreck File
Town of Whitby Archives
Toronto Telegram (December 1897) – fire reports
C. Patrick Labadie Collection – Great Lakes Schooners

Conclusion

The John Wesley’s long, unglamorous career as a workhorse Schooner ended with a quiet fire during a frozen winter layup in 1897. Her loss was not unique, but her story embodies the life cycle of hundreds of early Ontario lake vessels—built on worn-out hulls, passed from owner to owner, and quietly forgotten. Whether built in 1838 or 1860, she carried the working history of Ontario’s shoreline in her planks.

Keywords

John Wesley, Whitby Harbour, Oakville Schooner, Scow Schooner, Port Hope, Stone Trade, Fire Sinking, Lake Ontario Wreck, 19th Century Shipbuilding, Maritime History, Challenge Hull