Shipwrecks of Lake Champlain
Join us for a FREE online broadcast
from the 1860 shipwrecked schooner Sarah Ellen.
Now viewable HERE.
From the very first Native American occupation of this region, people have been using Lake Champlain for sustenance, warfare, commerce, and now recreation. It forms a natural water highway between the Adirondacks to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. Military control of the lake meant control of the surrounding regions. Later the lake was used for commercial purposes, shipping goods and products north into Canada and south to the Hudson River. Join us as we discuss these timeframes in Lake Champlain History.
With such active use of the lake, accidents were inevitable. Boats from every time period in history have been sunk, and not all of them unintentionally. The list of shipwrecks below is by no means exhaustive. These represent only a sampling of the sites strewn across the bottom of Lake Champlain.
Shipwreck Tours!
Explore a shipwreck - without getting wet!
Did you know that there are over 300 historic shipwrecks at the bottom of Lake Champlain? Take a tour boat to the site of one of these wooden wrecks and go for a “dive” using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). This robotic camera sends back real-time video to an on-board monitor as we share the vessel’s dramatic story.Don’t miss this incredible experience - for all ages!
This program is made possible by the generous support
of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.LCMM acknowledges and thanks Rachael Z. Miller and Shipwrecktour.com as founder and creator of the Shipwrecks! program.
Selected Shipwrecks of Lake Champlain
*Sites with an asterisk are currently open (during summer months) as part of the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve. They are open to the public, and accessible to any certified SCUBA diver.
Read more about our research on Lake Champlain's shipwrecks from our archaeological reports:
Lake Champlain Underwater Cultural Resources Survey Reports (PDF files):
Valcour Bay Research Project Report (15.0MB)