07/08/2026
"Osprey Shipwreck Diving 8/1 Weather Call: Oxford or Indiana”
On August 1, our weather-dependent first dive target will be either the Oxford or the Indiana, two very different Lake Erie wrecks with very different dive profiles. The Oxford was a classic two-masted brig built in 1842 and was carrying iron ore from Ogdensburg, New York, to Toledo, Ohio, when she met the steamer Cataract in the darkness of May 30, 1856. Her lookouts had seen the steamer’s lights and believed their own lights were clearly visible, but the Cataract bore down on them and struck the Oxford’s starboard side near the foremast. The little brig sank in less than three minutes, taking Captain John Lee, his wife, his child, and two crew members with her. Today the Oxford rests in 160 feet of water, making it a technical-level wreck beyond normal sport diving limits. The wreck is remarkably preserved, with her large tiller, anchors, windlass, bilge pumps, offset centerboard, rigging winch, and mast features still making her one of Lake Erie’s most compelling deeper wrecks.
The Indiana is the sport-diving option for this weather call, lying in about 90–95 feet of water and offering an excellent wreck dive within the range of experienced deep divers. Built in 1852, the Indiana was a barkentine carrying curbing stone from Buffalo to Cleveland when she encountered a storm near Erie, Pennsylvania, on September 24, 1870. She began leaking in the morning, was abandoned by evening, and eventually dove bow-first to the bottom, but her crew survived. For years, divers knew her simply as the “stone wreck” because her cargo of paving stone still sits below and above the decks. Today, the bow is broken, the masts are down, the deadeyes line the gunwales, and divers can still see belaying pins, capstan features, rigging gear, wood stock anchors, and the debris field near the stern. For Indiana, divers can also use
https://3dshipwrecks.org/lake-erie-shipwrecks/ as a 3D dive-planning tool before boarding the charter.
This charter is for experienced sport and technical divers with Deep Diver certification minimum, cold-water readiness, and a required redundant air supply. Call Davey Bones Scuba Center at 330-701-4649 to sign up or get additional information. Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/2034141483928238?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22surface%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22groups_highlight_units%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
A great resource for Lake Erie shipwreck history is Lake Erie Shipwrecks (http://www.eriewrecks.com/eriewrecks/). You can purchase their books through the link or Amazon. Thanks to Mike and Georgann Watcher for permission to use some of their images.
Osprey Charters shipwreck info: https://ospreydive.com/oxford-crows-nest/ https://ospreydive.com/indiana/
