New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty today announced that three submerged heritage preserves in Lake George are now open, providing the opportunity for divers to explore sunken vessels.
"There is a rich history resting on the floor of Lake George, and the heritage preserves offer the chance for experience divers to view it firsthand," Commissioner Crotty said. "Working with Bateaux Below, Inc. and other partners, we have preserved a number of shipwreck sites so that sport divers can tour these sunken vessels and take a step back into an earlier era in our nation's history."
The three submerged heritage preserves, commonly known as shipwreck preserves, are located within a two-mile range of Million Dollar Beach on the south side of Lake George. The preserves are:
The Forward -- According to oral tradition, the Forward, a circa 1906 45-foot wooden gasoline-powered launch, went down under unknown circumstances after serving as an excursion vessels for many years.
The Forward Preserve, which is known as The Forward Underwater Classroom, was enhanced in 1998 and includes a 500-foot trail system that leads divers around the site and provides scuba enthusiasts with opportunities to learn about lake ecology by visiting several scientific stations.
This ship is located in 20-45 feet of water approximately 1,500 feet east of Diamond Island in the lake's south basin.
The Sunken Fleet of 1758 -- A cluster of seven 30-foot long bateau-class warships, which were deliberately sunk by British and provincial American troops in the autumn of 1758 to prevent their capture by the French and their allies.
In 1997, a replica bateau was sunk at this site to provide divers a chance to compare the warships to an intact vessel. Archeologists will also have the opportunity to study the deterioration process for wooden vessels in freshwater.
This site is located in 20-45 feet of water off the Wiawaka Holiday House, a half mile north of Million Dollar Beach on the east side of the lake.
The 1758 Land Tortoise Floating Gun Battery -- Opened in 1994, this preserve features the Land Tortoise, a vessel built in 1758 for use by British and American provincial troops and their Iroquois allies. One of two radeaux built on Lake George in 1758, the warship is a flat-bottomed, seven-sided floating gun battery, that was pierced to accommodate seven cannons.
This 52-foot "floating fortress" was deliberately sunk by the British and was discovered though a Klein side scan sonar survey in 1990 conducted by a group that later became Bateaux Below, Inc. The Land Tortoise was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and in 1998, the vessel became only the sixth shipwreck listed by the U.S. Department of Interior as a National Historic Landmark.
Resting in 107 feet of water that has a temperature ranging from 35-45 degrees Fahrenheit, the Land Tortoise preserve is for experienced divers only. Divers must register with DEC's Lake George Beach office prior to visiting the site.
The Forward and Sunken Fleet of 1758 are open for viewing from Memorial Day into autumn depending on lake conditions. The Land Tortoise opens the week after Memorial Day and may be visited through Labor Day. All three preserves are marked by a mooring and navigation aid buoys. Dive boats should not anchor at the site, but should use the mooring buoys to access the preserves.
Since the shipwrecks are fragile, divers who visit the preserves should not touch the vessels. Damaging shipwrecks or collecting artifacts from the lake is illegal under State and local laws.
To obtain additional information about Lake George's Submerged Heritage Preserves, contact DEC at (518) 897-1200 or write: DEC Submerged Heritage Preserves, Region 5, Route 86, Box 296, Ray Brook, New York 12977
