The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) and the H. Lee White Marine Museum recently hosted 30 Oswego High School students for a tour of the Lake Guardian research vessel, the museum, and the POA, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA. The Lake Guardian is the largest research vessel in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fleet. The Guardian is in Oswego to conduct diving expeditions and learn more about shipwrecks that are part of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. Above, students board the Guardian to begin their tour.
OSWEGO, NY – The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) and the H. Lee White Marine Museum recently hosted 30 Oswego High School students for a tour of the Lake Guardian research vessel, the museum, and the POA, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA The Lake Guardian is the largest research vessel in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fleet.
The Guardian is in Oswego to conduct diving expeditions and learn more about shipwrecks that are part of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, which received that designation in 2024 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Guardian is equipped with a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) that is conducting a series of dives on wrecks in the sanctuary. A live dive was scheduled from 10 a.m. to Noon on May 23 on a newly discovered shipwreck on NOAA’s YouTube channel: “NOAA Sanctuaries”. Expedition highlights were scheduled to be shared on the channel on May 28 from 1-1:30 p.m.
The Oswego High School students, in grades 9-12, were part of teacher Ben Heckethorn’s local Oswego history course, and from teacher Matt Bock’s television/broadcast class, as well as teacher David Wilcox’s technology class.
The students received an overview of the ship’s scientists and maritime archaeologists’ study of the shipwrecks using the ROV with its high-definition camera. The ROV is valued at approximately $500,000 and has a 115-feet operational circle when surveying a wreck.
The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary is a 1,722 square-mile area that acts as a gateway between the Great Lakes and the ocean and protects culturally significant places, resources and artifacts integral to American history and the heritage of Indigenous Peoples. It is home to 63 known shipwrecks—some dating back over 200 years—and one known submerged aircraft. NOAA also established a 15-member Sanctuary Advisory Council to bring representatives from various stakeholder groups together to liaise with the community and assist in guiding NOAA through the designation process. The group is chaired by Bill Crist and is made up of volunteers and local residents who represent interests such as economic development, recreation, maritime heritage, education and research.
Following the tour of the Guardian, students received a tour of the H. Lee White Marine Museum focusing on Oswego’s broad maritime history by museum board Vice President, Dr. Robert Morgan, followed by a tour of the Port of Oswego by Patrick McMahon, POA supervisor of development and maintenance. While at the port, students visited the grain export center, which opened in 2022 and is the largest facility of its kind on Lake Ontario in New York State. “It has a USDA certified lab andthe most technologically advanced handling system on the Great Lakes, “ McMahon said. “It has an on-site grain testing lab, operated by students from SUNY Oswego, and it’s the only one of its kind among our sister Great Lakes ports. Our handling system can unload a truckload of grain (35,000 lbs.) in less than a minute, and it can load a railcar (100 tons of grain) in just fifteen minutes.”
McMahon offered students the opportunity to use the joystick that operates the lab’s remote controlled grain testing probe and delivered an overview of grain testing operations in the lab. In addition, students saw the many stacks of aluminum ingots in storage at the port and visited the control center for the Port’s 750,000-busel grain storage silo. ”Just one aluminum ingot weighs 1,700 lbs. and they are valued at $16,000 each,” McMahon said.
The Port of Oswego’s strategic location at the crossroads of the Northeastern North American shipping market, puts them less than 350 miles from 60 million people.
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