20. The Description to Look Down on All Opposition”: The Remains of HMS St. Lawrence

Author(s):  
Aaron Styba

In one of the most ignominious wars in history, a combined force of British and Canadian soldiers, sailors and civilians constructed the largest wooden warship ever built in the western hemisphere. Engaged with the Americans in a desperate game of cat-and-mouse upon Lake Ontario, the massive warship HMS St. Lawrence swung the balance of power firmly in favour of the British and thereby hastened the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, bringing the War of 1812 to a sputtering halt.This colossal warship, over 200 feet long, crewed by 700 and carrying 112 cannon, was completed at Kingston, Ontario in little over 9 months. Patrolling Lake Ontario, HMS St. Lawrence immediately caused the Americans to flee to their harbour. Astoundingly, and in a very Canadian fashion, she never fired a shot in combat.After the war ended, years of disrepair and dereliction left HMS St. Lawrence as a hulk of her former self. Sold to a local entrepreneur for a measly £25, she found herself towed to a location near Queen’s University. Mysteriously, she then disappeared from history. After the consideration of several theories, the hope is that this presentation, based upon the research conducted in a joint investigation by Parks Canada, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes and Queen’s University, will help determine the fate of this “nuclear bomb of her age.”This presentation will outline the fascinating origins of HMS St. Lawrence, how she was archaeological documented, what the investigation tells us, and why investigating naval heritage is a worthy undertaking.

1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Comba ◽  
Janice L. Metcalfe-Smith ◽  
Klaus L.E. Kaiser

Abstract Zebra mussels were collected from 24 sites in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River between 1990 and 1992. Composite samples of whole mussels (15 sites) or soft tissues (9 sites) were analyzed for residues of organochlo-rine pesticides and PCBs to evaluate zebra mussels as biomonitors for organic contaminants. Mussels from most sites contained measurable quantities of most of the analytes. Mean concentrations were (in ng/g, whole mussel dry weight basis) 154 ΣPCB, 8.4 ΣDDT, 3.5 Σchlordane, 3.4 Σaldrin, 1.4 ΣBHC, 1.0 Σendosulfan, 0.80 mirex and 0.40 Σchlorobenzene. Concentrations varied greatly between sites, i.e., from 22 to 497 ng/g for ΣPCB and from 0.08 to 11.6 ng/g for ΣBHC, an indication that mussels are sensitive to different levels of contamination. Levels of ΣPCB and Σendosulfan were highest in mussels from the St. Lawrence River, whereas mirex was highest in those from Lake Ontario. Overall, mussels from Lake Erie were the least contaminated. These observations agree well with the spatial contaminant trends shown by other biomoni-toring programs. PCB congener class profiles in zebra mussels are also typical for nearby industrial sources, e.g., mussels below an aluminum casting plant contained 55% di-, tri- and tetrachlorobiphenyls versus 31% in those upstream. We propose the use of zebra mussels as biomonitors of organic contamination in the Great Lakes.


1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1501-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernie May ◽  
J. Ellen Marsden

In this paper we report the discovery and implications of a second nonindigenous species of dreissenid mussel in the Great Lakes. This species was detected in a routine screening of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) for allozyme variability. The two species differ at allozyme loci (Nei's I = 0.30 using 12 loci) and in their shell morphology (the second species lacks the acute angle, or carina, between the ventral and dorsal surfaces of the shell of the zebra mussel). As a working name, at least until its species identity is discovered, we have called the new species the "quagga mussel." Currently, this mussel occurs in Lake Ontario in equal frequencies with D. polymorpha. Its low frequency of occurence in neighboring waters (e.g. the Erie canal, Niagara River, and outlet to Onondaga Lake) and lack of occurrence in any of the other Great Lakes suggest that (1) its point of introduction to North America was in Lake Ontario and (2) its range may expand.


1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J MacIsaac ◽  
Igor A Grigorovich ◽  
James A Hoyle ◽  
Norman D Yan ◽  
Vadim E Panov

Cercopagis pengoi, a waterflea native to the Ponto-Caspian region, was discovered during 1998 in Lake Ontario. Individuals were found throughout the lake during summer snagged on sportfishing lines. The population included parthenogenetic (92%) and sexual (2%) females and males (6%). Cercopagis has a very long caudal appendage that is more than five times the body length and terminates in a distinctive loop. Females and males from Lake Ontario were significantly smaller than individuals from the Neva Estuary, Baltic Sea. In Eurasia, C. pengoi occurs in relatively warm fresh and brackish waters (0-14‰) at population densities usually <3000 individuals·m-3; mean and maximum population densities in Lake Ontario were 170 and 322 individuals·m-3, respectively. The presence of females with resting eggs indicates that Cercopagis will likely establish in Lake Ontario. As with other recently introduced invertebrates, Cercopagis likely was transported to the Great Lakes in ballast water from eastern Europe. The rapid influx of Ponto-Caspian species into the Great Lakes warrants further study including identification of source populations, mechanisms of dispersal, impacts on recipient ecosystems, and efficacy of ballast water exchange programs.


1994 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah H. Lee ◽  
Frank H. Quinn ◽  
Douglas Sparks ◽  
Jean Claude Rassam
Keyword(s):  

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 836-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Morgan ◽  
Carly F. Graham ◽  
Andrew G. McArthur ◽  
Amogelang R. Raphenya ◽  
Douglas R. Boreham ◽  
...  

Round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) have a broad, disjunct range across northern North America and Eurasia, and little is known about their genetic population structure. We performed genetic analyses of round whitefish from 17 sites across its range using nine microsatellites, two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) loci, and 4918 to 8835 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci. Our analyses identified deep phylogenetic division between eastern and western portions of the range, likely indicative of origins from at least two separate Pleistocene glacial refugia. Regionally, microsatellites and SNPs identified congruent patterns in subdivision, and population structure was consistent with expectations based on hydrologic connectivity. Within the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario were identified as key areas of interest. Lake Huron appears to be a contemporary source population for several other Great Lakes, and Lake Ontario contains a genetically discrete group of round whitefish. In all cases, multiple genetic markers yielded similar patterns, but SNPs offered substantially enhanced resolution. We conclude that round whitefish have population subdivision on several scales important for understanding their evolutionary history and conservation planning.


1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire L. Schelske ◽  
Eugene F. Stoermer ◽  
Gary L. Fahnenstiel ◽  
Mark Haibach

Our hypothesis that silica (Si) depletion in Lake Michigan and the severe Si depletion that characterizes the lower Great Lakes were induced by increased phosphorus (P) inputs was supported by bioassay experiments showing increased Si uptake by diatoms with relatively small P enrichments. We propose that severe Si depletion (Si concentrations being reduced to ≤0.39 mg SiO2∙L−1 prior to thermal stratification) results when P levels are increased to the extent that increased diatom production reduces Si concentrations to limiting levels during the thermally mixed period. Large P enrichments such as those that characterized the eastern and central basis of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in the early 1970s are necessary to produce severe Si depletion. It is clear that severe Si depletion in the lower lakes was produced by P enrichment because inflowing waters from Lake Huron have smaller P concentrations and larger Si concentrations than the outflowing waters of either Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. Severe Si depletion probably began in the 1940s or 1950s as the result of increased P loads from expanded sewering of an increasing urban population and the introduction of phosphate detergents. The model proposed for biogeochemical Si depletion is consistent with previous findings of high rates of internal recycling because, under steady-state conditions for Si inputs, any increase in diatom production will produce an increase in permanent sedimentation of biogenic Si provided some fraction of the increased biogenic Si production is not recycled or unless there is a compensating increase in dissolution of diatoms.


1970 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 628-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Clark ◽  
N. P. Persoage

Movements of the earth's crust causing progressive changes in the levels of large bodies of water relative to their shorelines may influence the formulation of water resource projects and/or their continuing effectiveness with time. In the Great Lakes basin there is evidence of an uplift of the earth's crust, of about 1 ft per 100 y, in the northeasterly part of the basin relative to that in the southwest. This results in a corresponding lowering of water levels along the northeasterly shorelines and a rise in water levels along the southwest shores. In at least two of the lakes, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario, the average depth of water will change with time. In Lake Huron, it will gradually decrease because the bed underlying the lake is rising with respect to the lake outlet. In Lake Ontario, the depth of water will increase since the lake outlet is rising with respect to the remainder of the lake. This paper reviews some of the engineering implications of the relative rates of crustal movement in the Great Lakes region on long-term management of the water levels of the Great Lakes.


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