Oswego County’s rich marine history is on display – from events to exhibits. The H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego hosts a new display for the 2023 season, “Shipwrecks of Upstate NY.” The exhibit offers a detailed look at the shipwrecks below Lake Ontario using 3D printed and hand-painted scale models of shipwreck sites.

“Shipwrecks of Upstate NY” includes 25 models and was developed by local divers Tim Caza and Dennis Gerber. The two shipwreck enthusiasts have spent several years researching, diving and locating Lake Ontario shipwrecks in order to provide the public with a diver’s view of these wrecks.

Caza holds a U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license and has more than 45 years of experience in shipwreck diving in search and discovery of lost ships. He has worked with archeologists on his discoveries and has over 127 discoveries to date. Gerber has been a scuba diver for 37 years and is the designer and builder of the side scan sonar that has assisted in finding many of the exhibit’s featured discoveries. For more information on Caza and Gerber and their work, visit https://sonarguy.com/.

“Shipwrecks of Upstate NY” can be viewed at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and August and from 1 to 5 p.m. in the fall and winter. The museum is located at 1 W. First St. Pier, Oswego. For more information about the museum, visit https://hlwmm.org/.

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum recently joined Oswego County, the City of Oswego and the proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council to host the “Getaway Gertie” commemoration on June 24. The event served as a public tribute to the lost crew of a B-24 Liberator bomber believed to have crashed into Lake Ontario during World War II training exercises. The four-engine bomber has never been found and was last heard flying low over the eastern shore of Great Lake Ontario during a snowstorm in February 1944.

“Getaway Gertie” was carrying a crew of eight: pilot Wendell Keith Ponder; flight officer Raymond A. Bickel; flight engineer Thomas C. Roberts; radio operator Joseph Michael Zebo; assistant engineer Aubrey H. Alexander; assistant radio operator Philip R. Walton; and James O. Cozier and Kenneth Jones, both gunners.

The “Getaway Gertie” commemoration featured an opening ceremony conducted by the New York State Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing Honor Guard, followed by numerous distinguished speakers, including Tom Wilber, author of “Vanishing Point: The Search for a B-24 Bomber Crew Lost on the World War II Home Front.”

Family members of pilot Wendell Keith Ponder traveled from Texas and Oklahoma to attend the ceremony, and the H. Lee White Maritime Museum provided them and Wilber with free lighthouse boat tours.

Maritime history continues to be recognized as lakeshore partners await an announcement about the possible designation of the proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego and Jefferson counties and the city of Oswego joined together in 2017 to apply to have a 1,700-square mile area designated as a marine sanctuary, based on the cultural and historic significance of the waters.

The proposed sanctuary boundary on the eastern corridor of Lake Ontario is the site of 43 known shipwrecks and one known submerged aircraft. The proposal is currently under review by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

If the designation is successful, the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary will be the 16th marine sanctuary in the United States, providing opportunities for education, research, recreation and tourism. To learn more about the proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, go to https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/.


LEE WHITE MARITIME MUSEUM PRESENTS NEW EXHIBIT – The H. Lee White Maritime Museum hosts its latest exhibit, “Shipwrecks of Upstate NY.” The display was developed by local divers Tim Caza and Dennis Gerber and features 25 hand-painted and 3D-printed scale models of Lake Ontario shipwreck sites. Pictured from left are Gerber, H. Lee White Maritime Museum Curator Michael Pittavino and Caza.

OSWEGO COUNTY HONORS ‘GETAWAY GERTIE’ CREW – Oswego County joined with community partners to host the “Getaway Gertie” commemoration on June 24 in honor of the lost crew of the B-24 Liberator bomber. Family members of pilot Wendell Keith Ponder unveiled the memorial wreath and Oswego County Administrator Philip Church read the names of the bomber’s crew as the New York State Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing Honor Guard and a roster of distinguished speakers looked on. Pictured from left are Eddie Evans from Oklahoma; Robert Keith “Buddy” Hardy from Texas; Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup; Dan Martini, on behalf of U.S. Representative Claudia Tenney; Church; Debi Vanslyke, American Legion County Chaplin and Family Services Coordinator; and City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow.