Champlain II
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CHAMPLAIN II Shipwreck | |
 The Champlain II was built as the Oakes Ames, depicted here in a c. 1868 painting by James Bard | |
   | |
| Location | Address Restricted, Westport, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°12′21″N 73°22′39″W / 44.20583°N 73.37750°W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1868 |
| Architect | Proctor, Napoleon Bonaparte; Spear, Orson Saxton |
| Architectural style | Sidewheel Passenger Steamer |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000980[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 15, 1997 |
The steamboat Oakes Ames was built in 1868 by the Napoleon B Proctor Shipyard in Burlington, Vermont, for the Rutland Railroad. The 244-foot paddle wheeler was designed to ferry railroad cars from Burlington across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, New York. She was named after one of the railroad's directors' Oakes Ames.[2]
She successfully trialed on 19 August 1868 and her maiden excursion ran the next day to Willsboro Bay, Plattsburg. Mr. Ames went onward to Montreal for a review of the railroad's assets.[3]
In 1874, the ship was renamed and repurposed for passenger service as the Champlain II.[4] The following year, on July 16, 1875, the ship was wrecked when it ran aground after drifting off course while being guided by a pilot under the influence of morphine.[5] A salvage operation shortly afterwards removed much of the superstructure, leaving about a third of the wreck in place.[6]
The site is now an archaeological site located in Lake Champlain near Westport in Essex County, New York. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[1]
