Lake George Shipwrecks and Sunken History

by Joseph W. Zarzynski, Bob Benway

Overview

Discover lost history in the dark waters of Lake George.

Lake George is bustling with boaters, swimmers, fishermen and many others, enjoying its scenic, quintessentially Adirondack shores. But the depths below hide a whole other world—one of shipwrecks and lost history. Entombed are remnants of Lake George's important naval heritage, such as the legendary Land Tortoise radeau, which sank in 1758. Other wrecks include the steam yacht Ellide and the first famed Minne-Ha-Ha. These waters hold secrets, too, like the explanation behind the 1926 disappearance of two hunters. After years of exploration across the lake's bottomlands, underwater archaeologist Joseph W. Zarzynski and archeological diver Bob Benway present the most intriguing discoveries among more than two hundred known shipwreck sites.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609492205
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Series:	Disaster
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,121,172
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Underwater archaeologist Joseph W. Zarzynski has a bachelor of arts degree in history from Ithaca College (1973), a master of arts in teaching degree in social sciences from Binghamton University (1975) and a master of arts degree in archaeology and heritage from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom (2001). He is co-founder and executive director of Bateaux Below, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that studies historic shipwrecks in Lake George, New York. Mr. Zarzynski has had nearly two hundred articles and professional papers published in newspapers, magazines and professional journals. He is the author of two books on underwater mysteries and also co-author of a young adult book on Lake George's 1758 Land Tortoise radeau shipwreck. He is also an awardwinning documentary film writer and is one of the executive producers for three documentary productions: The Lost Radeau: North America's Oldest Intact Warship (2005, Pepe Productions), Wooden Bones: The Sunken Fleet of 1758 (2010, Pepe Productions and Bateaux Below, Inc.) and Search for the Jefferson Davis: Trader, Slaver, Raider (2011, Pepe Productions). A native of Endicott, New York, Mr. Zarzynski resides with his wife, Pat Meaney, in the Saratoga Springs, New York area. Bob Benway is a native of Glens Falls, New York, and he resides in nearby Queensbury, eight miles from Lake George. Mr. Benway is a trustee of Bateaux Below, Inc., and also is vice-president of the Lake George Historical Association. Mr. Benway has been scuba diving in Lake George for four decades and is an accomplished underwater photographer and videographer. His underwater photographs have appeared in many publications, and Mr. Benway's underwater video has also been featured in two shipwreck documentaries. The co-authors were part of the team that discovered the 1758 Land Tortoise radeau shipwreck in Lake George on June 26, 1990. The Land Tortoise radeau warship has been called North America's oldest intact warship.

Table of Contents

Preface 11

Acknowledgements 13

1 Native American Watercraft

Native American Canoes from Lake George 15

2 French and Indian War Shipwrecks

Operation Bateaux: 1963-1964 19

Missing, Four Shipwrecks of the Sunken Fleet of 1758 22

Lake George: Birthplace of the "Modern" American Navy 25

Reputed 1758 Radeau Shipwreck Artifact Sent to Lake George 27

Is Scour an Emerging Scourge at Radeau Shipwreck? 30

No State Destination Sign for the Land Tortoise Shipwreck 32

Class Explores Schenectady, New York Connection to Lake George Bateaux 34

Raising the Sunken Fleet, the 250^th Anniversary 36

Twentieth Anniversary: Discovery of 1758 Land Tortoise Radeau Shipwreck 39

3 Nineteenth-Century Shipwrecks

Saluting Bolton's Cadet Steam Launch Shipwreck 43

"Old Time Barge" Relocated by Underwater Archaeological Team 46

Has the Steam Yacht Ellide Been Found? 48

The Minne-Ha-Ha Steamboat Wreck: A Mystery Recently Uncovered 51

4 Twentieth-Century Shipwrecks

Seventy-Five-Year-Old Shipwreck Found and Identified 55

The Scioto Shipwreck: Investigating the Stabilization Option 58

Outboard Racing Boat Discovered During Sonar Survey 60

Steamboat Pamelaine I Wreck Parts Found 63

Divers Present Saunders with Steamboat Relics 64

Steamboat Whistle Recovered from Pamelaine Canopy Wreck 67

Cold Case: 1926 Mystery of Two Missing Hunters (Part One) 69

Cold Case: 1926 Mystery of Two Missing Hunters (Part Two) 71

Dive Commemorates Forty-Fifth Anniversary of Sinking of Lake George's Mystery Sub 74

Hague Mystery Wreck 76

Has Racing Royalty's Boat Been Found in the Lake? 78

Studying the "Wreck" in a Lake George Shipwreck 80

Bateaux Below Proposes Forward Shipwreck for National Register 82

Forward Shipwreck Passes State Register of Historic Places 83

Lake George's Sunken Vessel Onaway II Located 85

Recent Shipwreck Find a Reminder of a "Lucky Fisherman" 87

5 Historic Preservation & Threats to Shipwrecks

Historic Preservation Legislation Remembered 91

Zebra Mussel Monitoring Station Reactivated at Shipwreck Preserve 93

Spread of Zebra Mussels Could Threaten Lake's Shipwrecks 95

6 Other Submerged Cultural Resources

Evidence of Lake George Lumber Industry Found Underwater 97

Unfortunate Milestone Reached: Thirty Thousand Pieces of Litter Removed from Lake 99

Launching Wooden Runabouts Using Lake George's "Submarine Railway" 101

Submerged D&H Marine Track Damaged 104

Is Lake George Holy Water? Divers Find Hindu Statuettes in the Lake 106

Counting "What Lies Below" 108

7 Replica Archaeology, Art/Science, Divers and an Urban Legend

Replica Archaeology: 1758 Bateau "Wreck" Sunk in Lake George 111

Lake Art to Be Exhibited in Gallery, Internet and Underwater 113

Wrapping Up the Art/Science Exhibit 115

State Scuba Convention in Lake George 117

Lake George Urban Legend Reaches Washington, D.C. 119

What to Do with Replica 1758 Bateau "Wreck" in Lake 121

8 Shipwreck Documentaries, Shipwreck Preserves and Bateaux Below

Documentary about Lake George Being Filmed 123

The Lost Radeau to Appear on PBS Television 124

Lake George Documentary Wins Film Festival Award 126

Maria's Reef: Bateaux Below's New Submerged Geological Preserve? 128

Lake George Shipwreck Preserves to Get Overhaul 131

Remodeling of Lake's Shipwreck Preserves Continues 133

Unseen Battleground: Improving the "Ring-Around-a-Radeau" 135

Damaged Shipwreck Preserve Repaired and Reopened 137

Painting Lake George's History 138

Mystery Bottle with Written Messages Found in Lake 140

Bateaux Below Celebrates Twenty Years of Underwater Archaeology 142

1987 Lake Champlain Shipwreck Find Helped Train Lake George Underwater Archaeology Team 145

Conclusion: Lake George Has Crucial Role in State's Underwater Blueway Trail 147

Index 151

About the Authors 159