Discussion on HMS Ontario tonight

Fans of maritime history are invited to a discussion titled "The life, death and discovery of HMS Ontario" at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, 915 Oneida St., Lewiston.

The fate of the armed brig-sloop HMS Ontario has remained one of the greatest mysteries in Great Lakes maritime history, until Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville discovered it in 2008.

Historian Douglas DeCroix and John Montague will present a joint program recalling Oct. 31, 1780 - the day the armed brig-sloop Ontario disappeared with all hands off the southern shore of Lake Ontario.

DeCroix will discuss the history and disappearance of the vessel against the context of the British
occupation of the Great Lakes during the American Revolution.

Montague will detail the construction, details and nomenclature of this and other maritime vessels of the period. The issue of shipwreck preservation and salvage will also be addressed, using the Ontario and other recent discoveries as case studies.

DeCroix currently serves as executive editor of Western New York Heritage magazine, and Montague is an acclaimed maritime historian and artist. He founded the Buffalo Maritime Center
and currently serves as the BMC board president.

The session is open tot the public and refreshments will be served.