The Discovery of the Hamilton and Scourge

How were the ships found?

Locating the Wrecks

The location of the Hamilton and Scourge was first estimated by using Commodore Yeo's logbook from the Wolfe, which gave his ship's location the day of the accident: "Light breezes variable, very warm weather. At 5 o'clock the 40 Mile Creek bore SSW distance about 8 miles, wind southerly. Saw the enemy squadron bearing E by S about four or five leagues..."

It was Dr. Daniel A. Nelson, a dentist from St. Catharines in Ontario and an amateur archaeologist, who used the Wolfe's log to first pinpoint the wreck locations. In 1971, Nelson and Dr. A. Douglas Tushingham of the Royal Ontario Museum initiated the Hamilton-Scourge Project to locate the ships, attracting other scientists like Dr. Peter Sly from the Canada Centre for Inland Waters.

Conducting the First Searches

The first searches were made in 1972 using magnetometer and side-scan sonar (see the underwater archaeology section or remote sensing section for details). In 1973, a likely target was identified. Later deep-tow side-scan sonar trials with new equipment in 1975 offered researchers their first views of the vessels, upright on the lake bottom with masts intact.

Learn more about the Discovery of the Hamilton and Scourge

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How did Remote Sensing Techniques help to locate the Wrecks?

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