Lake Erie (Eastern Basin) Mooring Project
Lake Erie Mooring Status
May 10, 2024. The 2024 dive season is off to a good start. - Trent & Kim Zawaly invited Matt Mandzuik, Jordan Eastman, Jamie Duemo and Ian Marshall (surface support) for a test ride on thier new boat out to the Tiller to deploy the buoy. Depth Sounder definatly works as the shot line was dropped on the deck between the two holds. All bottom tackle and down line were de-slimmed, cleaned and found to be in good shape and the site is now open for the season.
May 18, 2024. Trent Zawaly took Jamie Duemo, Hugo Marques and Ian Marshall (surface support) to the Niagara, George Finnie, Carlingford and Stonewreck out of Port Maitland. Four buoys were installed and all lines cleaned and inspected. All were in good shape with the exception of the bottom tag line on the Stonewreck. Reported to be missing last fall, it was found not missing but buried in the bottom. When the divers raised it, it was found to be in bad shape and in need of replacing. As the divers after four dives were low on time and air, the tag line was left for another day.
May 19,2024. Trent, this time out of Port Colborne took Lucas Duemo, Jordan Eastman, Chris Foisey and Ian Marshall (surface support) clean and inspect the lines and install the buoys on the Raleigh and CB Benson. Again, everything was left on good shape. The day ended with a trip back to the Stonewreck to replace the bad bottom tag line left from the day before. All seven of the projects Buoys are now deployed.
Navigation Warnings (Notice to Mariners)
- NW-C-0896-24 Lake
Ontario -
West end- Chart 2077 Privately maintained orange
and white mooring buoy marking an unidentified shipwreck designated
"Tiller"in position: 43 14.769N 79 17.075W. Buoy is equipped with
flashing amber light FL4s and radar reflector.
- NW-C-1000-24 Lake Erie - East end - Charts 2120,
14838
Orange and white mooring buoy marked "PRIV" placed in position 42 39.288N 079 28.597W marking the
shipwreck "Carlingford". Buoy is equipped with flashing amber
light FL4s and Radar reflector.
- NW-C-1001-24 Lake Erie - East end - Chart 2120,
14838 Orange
and white mooring buoy marked "PRIV"
placed in position 42 40.076N 079
23.780W marking an unidentified shipwreck commonly known as the
"Stonewreck" (formally thought to be the "JD McGrath"). Buoy is
equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and Radar reflector.
-
NW-1002-24 Lake Erie - East end - Charts 2120, 14823 Privately maintained orange and white mooring buoy marking the shipwreck "George Finnie" in position: 42° 40.087'N 079° 36.250'W . Buoy is equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and radar reflector.
- NW-C-1011-24 Lake
Erie -East End - Charts
2120, 14822 Orange and
white
mooring buoy marked "PRIV" placed in position 42 51.926N 079 09.254W
marking the shipwreck "Raleigh". Buoy is equipped with flashing amber
light FL4s and Radar reflector. .
- NW-C-1012-24 Lake
Erie - East end - Chart 2120, 14838
Orange and white mooring buoy marked "PRIV" placed in position 42
46.262N 079 14.609W marking the shipwreck "CB Benson". Buoy is
equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and Radar reflector.
- NW-C-1003-24 Lake Erie - East End -Charts 2120, 14838 Orange and white mooring buoy marked "PRIV" placed in position 42 44.310N / 079 36.258W marking the shipwreck "Niagara". Buoy is equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and Radar reflector. .
Please!!
If you notice a problem with any of the moorings listed above,
please notify Niagara
Divers' Association so we may update the
list and perform any repairs.
As many of you may be aware, the Niagara Divers’ Association has been involved in mooring shipwrecks in Lake Erie’s Eastern Basin for several years. We have been installing concrete blocks, chain, line and floats on shipwrecks in both the US and Canadian waters. Although we had plans to manufacture approved buoys, we had held off due to lack of funds. At Shipwrecks/2002, Save Ontario Shipwrecks stated that they may be able to help in the near future. They later donated two buoys that year.
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In the
fall of 2002, SOS announced they had
received a $21,000.00 Trillium Fund Grant to allow them to moor 50
shipwrecks in the province of Ontario. At the February 4, 2003 monthly
NDA meeting, guest speaker Jim Friend of SOS announced that the NDA
would be receiving five more buoys for Coast Guard approved sites in
Lake Erie, bringing us up to a total of seven. All seven buoys
were installed in May/ June 2003. Over the years we have had to
replace all of these medium duty buoys, as they do not hold up well to
the rigours of open lake waters. For the 2009 season we tested
two heavier duty "GDI 0.25 Buoys" which held up very well.
By the end of 2009 three more of the original style smaller buoys were
in need of replacing and a decision was made to order five more of the
new "GDI 0.25" style to be put out for the 2010 season. These new buoys
all have internal radar reflectors and solar lights. The few medium
duty buoys we have remaining will be kept to be used as spares. The
buoys were received and put out during the 2010 season. In 2011 we had
a group purchase with SOS of the larger 0.30 GDI buoy which is now
installed on the Port Dlhousie "Tiller Wreck" and Lake Erie's "Niagara"
wrecks.
Original
SOS Medium Duty Buoy |
GDI 0.25 Buoy
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GDI 0.30 Buoy
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It is the responsibility of the NDA to properly install in the spring, maintain and remove each fall. We also notify the Coast Guard’s “Notice to Mariners” as to the status of the buoys.
The above chart shows the shipwrecks on which we have placed moorings. The targets represent shipwrecks with line and small floats. The small ships represent the Canadian Coast Guard approved sites with concrete block anchors and buoy moorings.