Though the Sea Lion has long been gone from the area, and is currently in poor condition, preservation efforts are continuing to be pushed to save this unique and special piece of local history.

The story of the Sea Lion would begin at Chautauqua Lake in 1985. Ernest E. Cowen of Mayville would initially plan the construction and design of the Sea Lion while overseeing the project until completion. Early creators would find various old sketches on how ships were created in the 16th and 17th centuries, encouraging the team to frame the design around these types of plans. The ship was built using trees from a forest of 400-year-old live oaks, with 10 bronze cannons and a sea lion engraving as well. In the end the length of the ship would come to about 63 feet, the mainmast came to about 58 feet tall, and the displacement of the ship became about 56 tons.

After the construction the ship would set sail on Chautauqua Lake, offering rides to families in a similar way to the Chautauqua Belle. Though a fun piece of historical fun, the ship would be sold off to the Barcelona Harbor in 1992 and later transferred out to the Buffalo Harbor shortly after. In 1999 tragedy would strike as a brutal ice storm moved into the Buffalo area. The ice caused the ship to begin to tip and take on water, and since the ship’s pumps were not working properly the ship would sink to the bottom of Lake Erie.

Fortunately for the historical preservation, a local diving team quickly became interested in exploring the wreckage of the ship. This team, led by diver Ted Genco, spent about one year looking into possible ways to get the ship off of the lake floor. This required the team to remove the ballast, with metal pieces to stabilize the ship from the bottom of the wreckage. Crews then began to attach barrels to the ship which would then be filled with air. The plan worked and the ship began to lift from the water. After this the ship would be transferred back to Barcelona Harbor for display until more repairs could be coordinated.

The Sea Lion in Barcelona Harbor.

This is when local historian Dennis Strawderman of Henricus Cities Militia would take interest in the project. Strawderman had long been researching these types of historical vessels, and had contributed to previous preservation efforts on similar ships.

“People go to a park and they see a ship there, and that’s a real draw. Both of those things add weight to one another,” said Strawderman. “I came across photographs of a somewhat lonely-looking ship sitting up near Barcelona Harbor on a huge cradle. It was just sitting there like a big model ship, and it was just beautiful. It was one of the most beautiful ships I had ever seen.”

Strawderman, alongside fellow volunteer Ron Blackburn, immediately took a trip to see the ship in person. The two men would nearly immediately decide that the ship would be a perfect restoration project for Henricus. After about seven years of coordination, the ship was officially transferred to the Sea Lion Foundation in Virginia.

As of March 2022, the ship still remained in Albany, the location that it still likely remains. The ship is currently in the hands of the Scarano Brothers, who are working to repair the ship for transportation to its final destination at Henricus Historical Park on the James River in Virginia. While COVID-19 seemed to delay much of the plan, the historical preservation efforts are still underway and the ship is still on course to find another resting place where community members can show appreciation for the story of the Sea Lion.