On the afternoon of 1 September, 1921, the three-masted schooner, the Oliver Mowat, set out from Picton for Oswego to collect 550 tons of coal, a run the crew was very used to. They sailed on into the night, it was clear, but dark. As the Gazette reported at the time, “Shortly before 11 o’clock that night, as the vessel was off the Main Ducks in Lake Ontario, a freighter was seen approaching from the east. The night was clear, and the barge continued on its course, although a signal was flashed by the schooner to give warning of her position. The barge came ahead and struck the Oliver Mowat amidships, plowing her way half through.”  Only two crew members were able to be brought safely off the sinking ship.

The Gazette reported three weeks later, “Two of the three masts projecting from the water at a point two miles on the far side of Main Ducks islands, mark the scene of the disaster.” A temporary buoy was installed to mark the masts as dangerous to passing ships. The following spring, the masts were  taken down with blasts of dynamite.

The location of the wreck was lost for the next 75 years until Barbara Carson rediscovered it in 1996, 121 feet below the surface of the lake. Ms. Carlson has entrusted the wreck's Location to Kayla Martin's team in 2023 and in 2024 we are able to open it up to all advanced divers who want the chance to see this piece of history come to life.