Marysburgh vortex
The Marysburgh Vortex is a part of eastern Lake Ontario known for many shipwrecks from the age of sail and steam. The area stretches around Wolfe Island, Mexico Bay near Oswego, New York, and Point Petre in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Wrecks in the vortex are numerous—estimates range from at least 100 ships to as many as 500, plus about 40 aircraft.
Although many legends speak of mysterious forces behind the sinkings, historians attribute the disasters to ordinary hazards such as bad weather, changing cargo, fires, reefs exposed at low water, and compass errors caused by natural magnetic variations.
Notable wrecks include the Bavaria (1889), Eliza Quinlan (1883), George A. Marsh (1917), and Star of Suez (1964). The term “Marysburgh Vortex” was coined by writer Hugh F. Cochrane in 1980 in Gateway To Oblivion, where he suggested an invisible vortex as the cause of the disasters; reviewers have called his work speculative.
Today, the many sunken wrecks make the Marysburgh Vortex a popular destination for recreational divers.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:33 (CET).