The Wreck of the David W. Mills, New York

This dive site is one of five being established by the New York Sea Grant along the 454-mile Seaway Trail Scenic Byway. The David W. Mills was a typical Great Lakes cargo vessel of the late 19th century. Measuring 202 by 34 by 13 feet (61 by 10 by 4 m), this wooden "steambarge" could carry more than 1 million board feet of lumber. Built by Thomas Quayle and Sons Shipyard, the vessel was originally named Sparta and was launched at Cleveland, Ohio, on April 11, 1874. The vessel was renamed in 1910 after the manager of the Port Huron Navigation Company, the firm that owned the ship. Captain Frank J. Peterson bought the Mills in 1919. The Mills ran aground on Ford Shoals on August 11, 1919, in dense smog created by forest fires in Canada. Attempts to free the boat failed and it broke apart during a violent October storm. From 1991 to 1994, the wreck site was mapped by the Oswego Maritime Foundation. On May 3, 2000, the Mills was designated as New York State's first Submerged Cultural Preserve and Dive Site in Lake Ontario.
Depths to: 12-25 feet (4-8 m).
Visibility: 20-100 feet (6-30 m), with an average of 45 feet (14 m).
Water temperature: 40-73 degrees Fahrenheit (4-23 degrees Celsius).
Fees: None
On-site amenities: None
More info: Visit the Oswego County Division of Promotion and Tourism
at www.co.oswego.my.us/tourism/recreation/scuba.html, www.nysgextension.org/dswt/davidmills.htm or the Oswego Maritime Foundation at www.oswegomaritime.org.
Open: The diving season is typically May through mid-October. May to early June and late summer are the best times to go.
Getting there: The preserve is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Oswego Harbor in an area called Ford Shoals. Contact a local dive shop for more information.