The depths of the Red Sea hold more mysteries than one might imagine. Among them lies the intriguing story of the “Russian Wreck,” a vessel with a mysterious past, buried beneath the waves. This shipwreck, also known as the Khanka, has captured the imagination of divers and maritime history enthusiasts. It’s a story that unfolds like a Cold War thriller, making it an ideal destination for adventurous scuba divers eager to explore both history and the deep blue sea.

A Spy Ship’s Hidden Past

Little is known about the Khanka, a Russian spy ship that ventured far from home. The ship was a modified 861-class survey/buoy tender, bearing the distinctive “SSV” designation, which identified it as a communications vessel. These ships were known for their roles in electronic signal intelligence gathering and surveillance during the height of the Cold War.

In those tense years, Russia relied on these unassuming commercial vessels to conduct covert operations, often retrofitting them to carry SIGINT and ELINT equipment, allowing them to discreetly collect intelligence from international waters. The Khanka, however, remains an enigma, with no official records confirming its existence within the MOMA class.

Cold War Russian ELINT History

The backdrop to this intriguing shipwreck is the early Cold War era, when Russia lacked an extensive network of overseas listening posts. To overcome this limitation, they employed commercial ships, particularly fishing trawlers, to conduct covert surveillance of foreign governments. These versatile vessels were affordable to operate and maintain and could be easily modified to carry hidden surveillance equipment.

As Russia evolved its “spy ships,” it began constructing purpose-built ELINT platforms, marking a significant development in the world of espionage and maritime history.

The Khanka’s Presence in the Red Sea

The Khanka’s final resting place is 24 meters below the surface in the western bay of Zabargad Island. Its presence in the southern Red Sea may seem perplexing at first, but it holds significant geopolitical relevance. In 1971, the Russians established a surveillance facility on Socotra Island, which provided access to strategic locations at the mouth of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. This placement allowed them to monitor marine traffic, both commercial and military, entering and leaving the Red Sea, giving them a strategic upper hand during the Cold War.

Diving into History

The Khanka’s wreck is a fascinating destination for scuba divers. It lies in the clear waters of the Red Sea, and the mast just breaks the surface during low tide, providing an excellent reference point for divers. The ship seems to have collided head-on with the reef, causing the bow and forward hold to separate and rest on its port side. The rest of the ship remains upright, facing the reef.

Divers can explore the pilothouse and engine room, and for the adventurous, the ship’s holds may be accessible, offering a glimpse into the potential “spy” equipment that may have been onboard. The wreck still boasts many deck fittings, hatches, and some handrails, providing a vivid snapshot of the ship’s past.

However, divers should be prepared for the underwater currents that can affect visibility at the site. The excitement of discovering this historical relic is well worth the potential challenges.

The Red Sea’s “Russian Wreck” is not just a diving destination; it’s a portal into the covert world of Cold War espionage. As you explore its submerged remains, you can’t help but wonder about the secrets it carried and the stories it could tell if only its rusted hull could speak. The Khanka is a testament to the hidden history that still lies beneath the waves, waiting for intrepid explorers to uncover its mysteries.

Learn more with Red Sea Safaris at: https://www.redseasafaris.com

The Carnatic was as a 1,776 GRT steam-powered wood-on-iron constructed Clipper Ship built at Samuda Brothers, Cubitt Town, Isle of Dogs, Poplar, UK for the Penninsula & Orient S.N. Co., London (later to be known at the P & O Line). When her keel was laid in early 1862, she was originally to be named Mysore. However, when she was launched 12 June 1862 she was renamed the Carnatic. Completed 25 April 1863, she was 89.4 meters in length, 11.6 meters in beam, and 7.8 meters in draught. The ship was outfitted with square-rigged sails typical of clipper ships of the era, and also had a 4-cylinder compound inverted steam engine from Humphry’s and Tennant, London, which provided 2,442 Hp to a single shaft and a 3-blade propeller.

On 27 June 1863 she sailed for Calcutta where she assigned service on the Suez-Bombay- and China route. The Suez canal would not be completed until September 1869, so at that time Suez was a seaport where ship’s cargoes and passengers were embarked or were delivered too.

In 1867, Captain Philip Buton Jones took command of the ship, and by all accounts was considered a “seaman of the ablest means”.

At 1000 on the morning of 12 September 1869, the Carnatic departed Suez for Bombay with 34 passengers, 176 crew, and a cargo consisting of copper sheeting, bales of cotton, Royal Mail, and 40,000 GBP in specie which was destined for the mint in India.

As the ship headed south, Captain Jones remained on the bridge to personally oversee the ship’s navigation through the narrow passages and hazards of the Gulf of Suez. Maintaining a speed of 11 knots, the ship continued south throughout the day, with day turning to clear evening when the Ashrafi Light was sighted at 2340. However, no bearing on the light was taken. As the watch team changed at midnight, the Ashrafi Light was well astern of the ship. At 0100 13 September, the Second Officer became aware that Shadwan Island lie dead ahead. Captain Jones ordered a new course which he believed would allow the ship to clear the Island. However, at 0118 waves were sighted off the starboard bow indicating a reef. The helm was put hard over to starboard and engines to full back, but to no avail…..

The ship hit the reef of Sha’ab Abu Nuhas and was hard aground. Captain Jones then conducted a thorough inspection of the ship and determined that the pumps could handle the water that the ship was taking on. As there was no apparent danger to the passengers or crew he ordered that everyone was to remain onboard.

At dawn, Captain Jones realized that the ship was hard aground and ordered some of the cargo of cotton bales thrown overboard to lighten the ship in an attempt to refloat her on the changing tide. This, however, proved unsuccessful. Some passengers requested to disembark and make for Shadwan Island, a request which Capt. Jones refused as he was expecting the S.S. Sumatra to pass near the Carnatic’s position, inbound for Suez, in the near future. And although the ship was taking on water, the pumps were controlling the flooding, the ship had power and appeared to still be sound.

As the day wore on there was no sign of any passing ships, so Capt. Jones decided that all passengers and crew would spend another night onboard the ship, although some passengers again requested to disembark for Shadwan Island.

As the ship sat on the reef, it had been swinging from side-to-side with the waves, which unbeknownst to captain or crew, was slowly weakening the ship’s keel. At 0200 on 14 September the water level in the engine room reached the ship’s boilers which resulted in the ship losing all power (and loss of the pumps as well!).

At daybreak, with the ship flooding uncontrollably, Capt. Jones gave the order to abandon ship with women and children being ordered the first to depart the ship. The first of the women and children had just been put into a lifeboat when the ship suddenly broke in half. The after section of the ship immediately went to the bottom resulting in the loss of 5 of the passengers and 26 crew. The forward section of the ship rolled over onto its port side taking the remainder of the passengers and crew with it.

The passengers and crew in the water struggled for their lives and many managed to make it to the top of the reef.

The survivors managed to make it to Shadwan Island in the remaining lifeboats, arriving on the island at sunset. A signal fire was started atop the island which was later sighted by the passing S.S. Sumatra who rescued the survivors. 31 people lost their lives in the sinking of the ship.

Captain Jones was ordered to England to stand before a formal Board of Enquiry where it was determined that the grounding of the Carnatic was the result of negligence on the captain’s part. Captain Jones’ Master ticket was suspended for nine months. However, Captain Jones never went to sea again…..

The Carnatic’s cargo was salvaged in the weeks following the sinking where 40,000 GBP of cargo and specie were recovered.

Diving Information

The Carnatic lies at the base, and parallel to, the Sha’ab Abu Nuhas reef at a depth of 18-27 meters. When the ship sank, she had broken into two sections. When the ship settled on the bottom, the two halves settled nearly back together! The wreck is lying on its port side with the bow of the ship is pointing to the east and stern pointing to the west. The fore and aft sections are nearly complete, separated by the section of the ship where it broke in two. The wooden deck and hull have long since deteriorated and disappeared, leaving only the iron structural ribs and frames. This makes for an easy penetration into the ship down to what was the second deck. At the bow one can see where the bowsprit and figurehead were once mounted. At the stern, window ports still remain and one can penetrate the ship down two deck levels. Beneath the stern lies the rudder and the three-bladed propeller which make for some beautiful pictures! The entire wreck is populated with soft corals, glass fish, crocodile fish, lion fish, and the occasional blue-spotted stingray. Diving the wreck can pretty much only be done in good weather and by being dropped off by Zodiac. A very nice dive adventure!

Learn more about diving the SS Carnatic at https://www.redseasafaris.com

Every year this annual event commemorates the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald and the total loss of the 29 crew members aboard on November 10, 1975. It is also a time to reflect on the memory of all lives lost on the Great Lakes.

The lighthouse, fog signal building, and visitor center will be open for visitors. Guides will welcome visitors and provide historic site and shipwreck information. Throughout the day, visitors can watch a film about Edmund Fitzgerald in the visitor center, or join a guided tour exploring the history of Fitzgerald’s final voyage.

At 4:15 pm, the lighthouse will temporarily close while the names of the crew are read to the tolling of a ship’s bell, with a rendition of the Naval Hymn. Following the ceremony, the beacon will be lit, and the tower will be open again to tour until close at 6 pm.

Be sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp as the grounds and trails are unlit. The weather is unpredictable, please dress accordingly.

The event will be streamed on Split Rock’s Facebook Page and the Minnesota Historical Society’s YouTube channel.

Planning to watch the livestream event? Register here to get regular event reminders, so you are sure not to miss the a moment!

Details

Friday, November 10, 2023: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Split Rock Lighthouse: 3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Rd. Two Harbors, Minnesota 55616

Cost:

$8-12/MNHS Members free

Get Tickets

Information @ 218-226-6372 splitrock@mnhs.org

The Maritime Museum of BC is thrilled to announce that our new feature exhibit titled Victoria Harbour will run from 2 November 2023 – 6 April 2024.

About the Exhibit

Nestled in the heart of the city, Victoria Harbour is a place of so many personal memories but how often do we think of its own history?

Collections and Exhibits Manager Heather Feeney says: “If you take a moment to stop and look around, you’ll see that the wharfs and buildings ringing the harbour all have stories to tell.”

Join us this season at the Maritime Museum of BC to delve into the wide-ranging history of the harbour. Victoria Harbour explores everything from the natural environment, to early industry, to how we work and play in and around the harbour today. While these are only some of the many pieces of the harbour’s past, we hope they will stay with you the next time you take a walk along the causeway. 

Media Details

Media are invited to come in on Thursday, November 2 between the hours of 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Please identify yourself as media at the front desk.

Maritime Museum of BC staff will be available for comment. Photography is welcome.

Information for the Public

Exhibit Dates: 2 November 2023 – 6 April 2024

Location: 744 Douglas Street

Hours of Operation: 10 AM – 5 PM

Website: www.mmbc.bc.ca

Admission Rates:

• Adult – $10.00
• Senior/Student – $8.00
• Youth (12-17) – $5.00
• Child (under 12) – Free

The Chrisoula K began life as the 3,720 or 3,807 GRT Cargo Ship Dora Oldendorff built at Orenstein, Koppel and Luebekker, Lübeck, Germany for Egon Oldendorff’s growing post-WWII fleet. Launched 16 December 1953 and completed early in 1954, she was 98 meters in length, 14.8 meters in beam, 9 meters in draught, with a single 2,700 bhp 9-cylinder diesel engine from Masch, Augsburg-Nuermbuer (MAN), Augsburg, Germany, connected to a single shaft for a maximum speed of 13.5 knots.

The Dora Oldendorff was sold in 1970 (Company Unknown) and was renamed the Anna B. She was sold again in 1979 to the Clarion Marine Company, Piraeus, Cyprus, and renamed the Chrisoula K.

Loss of the Chrisoula K

In late August 1981, the Chrisoula K got underway from Italy with a cargo of floor tiles destined for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The ship, under the command of Captain Kanellis, made safe passage across the Mediterranean Sea, transit through the Suez Canal, and navigated through the narrow confines of the Straits of Suez. One source states that Captain Kanellis was on the bridge for the entire passage from Italy up to this point and then turned the helm over to another officer in order to retire for some well-earned rest. True or not, the ship continued on its passage south, steaming at full speed, when it struck the northeast corner of Sha’ab Abu Nuhas at position 27°34’50″N; 33°55’30.

There was apparently enough damage to the hull of the ship that it was considered a total constructive loss (See Lloyd’s List entry for 01 September 1981). The 21-man crew was picked up by the Egyptian Navy based at Hurghada and delivered to Suez shortly afterwards. The ship soon began to take on water and, with her bow firmly embedded in the reef, began to sink by the stern. Eventually she settled on the bottom at the base of the reef in 20-30 meters of water.

Diving the Chrisoula K

The bow of the ship, also known as the “Tile Wreck“, used to be clearly visible on top of the Sha’ab Abu Nuhas Reef. However, due to years of wave action and exposure to the elements, there isn’t much left of this part of the ship to see above the water (in fact, practically nothing!).

One need’s calm seas in order to get to the wrecksite. The main part of the ship lies in a fairly upright position at the bottom of the reef, while the stern has keeled over almost completely onto its starboard side. Penetration into the engine room located in the stern section is possible, but a bit disorienting due to the ship’s stern being on its side. There is much to see in the engineering compartments as the ship was not salvaged. Flashligts, flashlights, and more flashlights are recommended. Silt-out conditions are also another consideration here….watch your finning!

Back outside of the wreck, the rudder and propeller are still in place at 26-28 meters. Going shallow along the port side of the ship’s hull there is a gap between hull plates which allows access into the ship’s holds where the cargo of tile still remains. All-in-all, this is another one of those wrecks that makes the Red Sea such a unique diving destination.

Learn more about diving the Chrisoula K at Abu Nuhas at: https://www.redseasafaris.com

HMCS Saskatchewan was a destroyer of the Mackenzie class that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and then in the Canadian Forces. She was the second naval unit in Canada to bear the name of HMCS Saskatchewan. The vessel is named after the Saskatchewan River in Canada, which runs from Saskatchewan to Manitoba.

She was mostly utilized as a training ship on the west coast after entering service in 1963. In 1994, she was decommissioned and sold as an artificial reef. She was sunk off the coast of British Columbia in June 1997.

The Mackenzie-class ships had a length of 366 feet (112 meters), a beam of 42 feet (13 meters), and a draught of 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m). The Mackenzie’s had a complement of 290 and displaced 2,880 tons (2,830 long tons) when fully loaded.

HMCS Saskatchewan was initially stationed on the east coast, in Halifax. She was stationed off Haiti as part of an international force monitoring an insurgency against the sitting president, François Duvalier, in April 1963, while sailing to the Pacific. She was assigned to the Pacific in October 1963 and ran aground in the Gulf of Georgia on September 8, 1968. A court-martial later found the captain guilty of carelessness in the case. The destroyer returned to the east coast in February 1970, when she took over as the flagship of NATO’s standing fleet, STANAVFORLANT, from HMCS Nipigon.

Saskatchewan returned to the west coast in 1973 and spent the rest of her service there, mostly as a training ship with the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces’ Maritime Forces Pacific. The destroyer was dispatched in July 1982 to pursue the Soviet spy ship Aavril Sarychev, which had been spying on the west coast of North America. From May 27 to June 17, 1986, she was undergoing a DELEX overhaul at the Burrard Yarrow Shipyard in Esquimalt. She was one of the Canadian warships dispatched to Australia in the fall of 1986 to take part in the Royal Australian Navy’s 75th anniversary festivities. The ship remained a training ship with Training Group Pacific until 1 April, when she was paid off.

YouTube

In the azure waters of the Northern Red Sea, an enigmatic relic from a bygone era lies silently on the seabed—a Soviet-era T-43 class minesweeper known as the El Minya. Her story is one of international diplomacy, aerial warfare, and the mysteries of underwater exploration.

A Soviet Gem in Egyptian Waters

The EL Minya, also referred to as El Mina, El Minia, El Miniya, or El Miniaya, had its humble beginnings as a product of Soviet shipyards in the late 1940s. The T-43 class minesweeper, originally designed in the UK, found its way to the USSR and was built at shipyards in Leningrad, Kerch, Poland, and even under license in China. Of the 178 ships in this class, Egypt became the recipient of seven, including the EL Minya.

President Nasser’s diplomacy was instrumental in securing these vessels, which arrived on the shores of Egypt in the spring of 1956 as part of a $120 million arms treaty. Curiously, the T-43 class minesweeper’s origins traced back to the UK, showcasing the complexities of the global arms trade.

A Naval Tribute to Egypt

The four T-43 ocean-going minesweepers delivered in 1956 were named after Egyptian cities—Assiout, Bahaira, Gharbia, and the hometown of President Nasser himself, El Minya. Unfortunately, the El Minya’s fate was sealed in the midst of a turbulent political climate.

A Fateful Day in 1970

On the fateful day of February 6, 1970, the peaceful waters of Hurghada in the Northern Red Sea bore witness to a harrowing aerial attack. Four to six Israeli aircraft, likely Phantom F-4 A or Mirage III jets, approached Hurghada under the shroud of low altitude to evade radar detection. Their mission: to neutralize a radar station near the airfield. Anchored at the naval base, El Minya unwittingly became a part of this high-stakes drama.

El Minya’s anti-aircraft guns posed a threat to the low-flying Israeli aircraft and made her a prestigious target. During the attack, a small bomb struck the starboard side of the minesweeper, causing it to roll over. The ship, though still afloat (some accounts suggest it sank and resurfaced), was subjected to another round of attacks by the Israeli aircraft, with machine gun fire targeting the underside of the hull. Ultimately, the El Minya succumbed to the depths of the Red Sea, leaving an anchor chain on the seabed as a haunting reminder of her tragic end.

The Political Backdrop

The events leading to the El Minya’s demise were shaped by the political turmoil of the era. In the early 1970s, Egypt and Israel were embroiled in tensions stemming from Egypt’s desire to regain the Sinai Peninsula, lost during the Six-Day War of 1967. These hostilities culminated in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

Exploring the Wreck

Today, the sunken El Minya serves as a compelling underwater site for divers seeking to explore history beneath the waves. Divers often begin their journey at the stern of the wreck, where the ship lays on its port side, leaning against the superstructure. This vantage point offers a view of the ship’s two propeller screws and rudders, leading to the south side over the stern deck. Here, massive rolls of cable used for towing torpedo-like mine sweeping devices are still visible.

As divers progress towards the superstructure, they encounter remnants of the ship’s anti-aircraft guns and machine guns. The mast, torn off during the ship’s descent, can now be found to the north of the wreck.

The bow area presents a treasure trove of historical artifacts, including the mount for the second anti-aircraft gun. Nearby, the port side anchor chain traces the path that El Minya took during her desperate attempt to evade the Israeli attack. The starboard anchor remains in place, adjacent to the blast hole where the bomb struck, providing an intriguing swim-through opportunity.

Divers should exercise caution due to sharp edges and objects scattered across the seabed. The wreck also retains some live ammunition, a stark reminder of its wartime past. With a torch, divers can illuminate the interior, revealing the vivid colors of marine life that have found refuge within the ship’s hull.

A Dive for the Experienced

Exploring the El Minya is not without its challenges. The dive site, located east of Hurghada Naval Base, features depths reaching a maximum of 32 meters at the stern, 26 meters at the bow, and 19 meters around the blast hole atop the wreck. The site occasionally experiences poor visibility and strong currents, making it best suited for experienced divers. Care must be taken to avoid sharp edges, and divers should remain vigilant, as boats frequently visit the site.

Despite these challenges, the El Minya offers a unique opportunity to dive into history, explore a sunken relic of conflict, and witness the resilience of marine life in the depths of the Red Sea. It stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of a bygone era, forever preserved beneath the waves.

Learn more about diving the El Minya at https://www.redseasafaris.com

On 14 October 1942, 78 years ago, at 3:40 am, the Newfoundland passenger ferry SS Caribou was torpedoed by the German submarine U-69 37 km (20 nmi) southwest of Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, and sunk five minutes later. 137 people died, including civilian woman/children, Captain Benjamin Taverner, the long-time ship’s captain, and his sons Stanley and Harold, who served as first and third officers, respectively. Her sinking and large death toll made it clear that the war had really arrived on the home front of Canada and Newfoundland, and is cited by many historians as the most important sinking during the Second World War in Canadian-controlled waters.

SS Caribou was constructed for the Newfoundland Railway in 1925 at Rotterdam, Netherlands. Launched in 1925, the Caribou had a capacity of 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) and was able to attain a speed of 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) when fully loaded. Between 1928 and 1942, the SS Caribou was a Newfoundland Railway passenger ferry running between Port aux Basques, in the Dominion of Newfoundland, and North Sydney, Nova Scotia. She was considered a luxury ferry for the times, due to the fact she had electric lights and steam heat in all the rooms. In addition, Caribou also helped during the seal hunt along the Newfoundland coast every spring due to its ice-breaking design.

On 13 October 1942, SS Caribou was part of the convoy Sydney-Port aux Basque (SPAB), organized by HMCS Defender, a Royal Canadian Navy base. The SPAB convoy series normally occurred three times a week and was carried out in the dark. The naval escort vessel on this ill-fated voyage was HMCS Grandmère, a Bangor-class minesweeper. Sadly, the German submarine U-69 was patrolling the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It was a dark evening and the U-69 was silhouetted against the night horizon by the thick smoke from the coal-fired steam boilers of the Caribou. Grandmere saw the submarine and attempted to ram it, but the U-69 submerged. The minesweeper (Grandmere) launched six deep charges over the next two hours but did not damage the submarine and U-69 crept away undetected into the Atlantic. Following procedure, Grandmère then went back for survivors.

The Canadian naval vessel Grandmere was criticized in the Sydney Post-Record and The Globe and Mail as well as other media outlets in the days after the sinking for not stopping and helping save survivors immediately; but it was against operating protocols, and would have put her in immediate danger of being sunk as well. Grandmère sailed for Sydney, Nova Scotia after picking up survivors because it had better hospital facilities than Port aux Basques, Newfoundland.

It was suggested by Gordon Payne, listening to the lyrics of the song, that it was composed by someone who was on The Caribou when it sunk. Many years ago, he heard a portion of the song and later got the full version of Cox’s Cove from Eli Payne. One of the survivors from the Caribou was William Lundrigan of Corner Brook.

The SS Caribou has not been pinpointed, according to Neil Burgess of the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland & Labrador, and is situated at 450 metres, (1476 feet) beyond the depth of technical divers. To collect photos/videos, an ROV would be required.

Dr. Sam Willis delves into the origins of HMS Terror, which was inspired by the BBC series ‘The Terror,’ a chilling tale based on one of polar exploration’s deepest mysteries. The TV show was based on the Terror’s final and tragic voyage, when the ship sailed into the ice off the west coast of Greenland in 1845, under the command of Sir John Franklin and alongside another ship, HMS Erebus, in search of the Northwest Passage.

In this Mariners Mirror episode, Sam Willis talks with Ed Williams-Hawkes, a powerboat specialist, historian, and resident of Topsham, Devon, where the Terror was designed, about the fascinating history of the HMS Terror, which had a long and remarkable career.

Both ships were beset by ice, but the crews remained with the ships until April 1848, when they abandoned them. At that time, Franklin and over 24 sailors had perished. The survivors tried to walk to the Canadian mainland but disappeared and were never seen again.

The TV show is a fictional and fantastical account of what could have happened to the men; the fact is that we know very little about their fate, and it remains one of the greatest maritime mysteries of all time.

Mariner’s Mirror

The Society for Nautical Research’s journal is The Mariner’s Mirror. The Society was founded in 1910 to promote research into seafaring and shipbuilding in all ages and across all nations, as well as the language and customs of the sea and other nautical subjects. Mariner’s Mirror is recognized as the international journal of record for maritime and naval history. It is ranked by the European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) as an INT1 journal (the highest classification), which has internationally recognized scholarly significance with high visibility and influence among researchers in the various research domains in different countries and is regularly cited all over the world.

“The Terror” originally was broadcast on AMC in 2018/2019.

“The Terror” is currently available for viewing on Prime Video.

The SS Ithaka is a steam freighter that has sunk off the Hudson Bay coast not far from Churchill, Manitoba. She was initially constructed in 1922 as the lake freighter Frank A. Augsbury for the Canadian George Hall Coal & Shipping Corporation. She then sailed for a number of different owners in various locations, receiving a number of name changes along the way, including Granby in 1927, Parita II in 1948, Valbruna in 1951, Lawrencecliffe Hall in 1952, Federal Explorer in 1955, and finally Ithaka in 1960, before being sunk later that year.

She was built by Fraser, Brace, Ltd. of Trois-Rivières, Quebec as the lake freighter Frank A. Augsbury for the George Hall Coal Company and launched on October 21, 1922. Frank A. Augsbury was a ship with a gross tonnage of 2,051 and dimensions of 251 ft 2 in (76.6 m) by 43 ft 1 in (13.1 m) with a draught of 18 ft 1 in (5.5 m). It was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine with a horsepower rating of 1,000 kW and coal-fired Scotch marine boilers. In 1927, she was bought by Canada Steamship Lines, who changed her name to Granby. The Ministry of War Transport took control of her, and France, Fenwick and Company oversaw her operations during the Second World War.

The British MV Atlantic City and the Granby collided off the West Goodwins (Kent England) on June 28, 1945, leaving Granby holed above the water. After being transported to the Downs, the tugboats Empire Larch and Empire Mary tow Granby to Gravesend on July 2, 1945. She was towed out of Gravesend on August 3 and foundered in the River Blackwater. She was bought by the Italian shipping company Lloyd Mediterraneo S.p.A. di Nav. in 1951 and given the new name Valbruna after being sold to the Panamanian company Cia Naviera Parita S.A. in 1948 under the new name Parita II. The Hall Corporation of Canada, Ltd., the original owners’ successor business, purchased Lawrencecliffe Hall in 1952 and brought her back to Canada as Lawrencecliffe Hall. In 1955, the Federal Commerce & Navigation Co., Ltd. purchased her once more, and they gave her the new name Federal Explorer.

She served as a supply ship for settlements along the Canadian Arctic coastline for Federal Commerce and Navigation, which twice chartered her to the Clarke Steamship Company in 1956 and used her to launch the Federal Intercoastal Line in 1957. In 1956, the Federal Explorer and her captain, Captain Simon Bouchard, transported fuel oil to RCAF stations in the Arctic as well as parts for a new nickel mill that was being built in Rankin Inlet. In 1958, she delivered grain from Churchill, Manitoba, to Montreal in late October after transporting nickel concentrates to Churchill, Manitoba, for rail delivery to Fort Saskatchewan.

The Ithaka Shipping Company bought Federal Explorer for the last time in 1960, and her owner, a Greek named J. Glikis, registered her in Nassau, Bahamas. She left Churchill on September 10, 1960, carrying supplies for the settlement and the nickel concentrate that the Clarke Steamship Company had chartered her to deliver from the Rankin Inlet nickel works. During the journey, she was caught in a strong gale and lost her rudder. On September 14, she dropped her anchor, but the anchors did not hold, causing her to run aground in Bird Cove, about ten miles east of Churchill.

The storm slammed her against the gravel bank, ripping her bottom completely out. Although the insurers, Lloyd’s of London, declared the ship a total loss and declared the grounding to be suspicious, they declined to pay the insurance claim. On September 18, the CCGS William Alexander of the Canadian Coast Guard rescued all 37 members of the crew, who then landed in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Due to the shallow water she grounded in, visitors could easily walk to the wreck during low tide, and her navigating equipment, as well as a large portion of her cargo, including two generators and some plywood panels, were salvaged.

Since 1960, the MV Ithaka has been resting upright on that reef.

Discover Churchill Tours offers guided hikes through the heart of polar bear territory to the SS Ithaka shipwreck at low tide from June 21 to September 21.

YouTube Video

From 1914 to 1924, the Port Nelson dredger operated in Manitoba, Canada.

Dredging is excavation that takes place in shallow or open ocean waters, partially or entirely underwater. By collecting and moving bottom sediments, it helps with coastal protection, land reclamation, and coastal redevelopment while maintaining the navigability of waterways and ports. Dredging typically has two main goals: to recover valuable or useful material or to increase the depth of the water.

The Polson Ironworks in Toronto, Ontario was given a contract by Canada’s Department of Railways and Canals to build a sizable suction dredger to aid in the construction of Port Nelson, the nation’s first port on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. She was finished in March 1914 and towed to Hudson’s Bay, where she ran aground as soon as she arrived in September. She was thrown onto the man-made island she helped to create by a storm in 1924, where her wreck is still visible today.

She was 180 feet (55 meters) long, had a beam of 43 feet (13 meters), a draft of 6 feet (1.8 meters), carried a crew of 35, and had a displacement of 1200 tonnes.

Around 1,000 people made up Port Nelson’s peak population at the beginning of the 20th century, but it is now a ghost town.

YouTube Video

The Henry Steinbrenner freighter had a 31-person crew when it sank in a Lake Superior storm in 1953, according to a recent discovery. It went down, south of Isle Royale.

The Great Lakes freighter SS Henry Steinbrenner was primarily built for the iron ore, coal, and grain trades on the Great Lakes. It measured 427 feet (130 m) in length, 50 feet (15 m) in width, and 28 feet (8.5 m) in depth. She was launched as hull number 14 by the Jenks Ship Building Co. of Port Huron, Michigan after being ordered by the Kinsman Transit Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. She had a forward forecastle with crew cabins on top, followed by a cabin and pilot house. With the exception of 12 hatches outfitted with telescoping type hatch covers, the middle section was a long, nearly flat deck over the cargo holds.

The Steinbrenner’s first two decades on the Great Lakes were full of excitement. On December 6, 1909, the Steinbrenner was loaded with iron ore and headed downward when she collided with the nearly-new SS Harry A. Berwind on the St. Marys River. On May 10, 1910, the Steinbrenner was recovered, repaired, and put back into service after it sank in the river and was deemed a total constructive loss. She would go back to her rather uneventful trading routine until she ran into another ship again. She hit the SS John McCartney Kennedy this time in a murky Whitefish Bay, but she was able to stay afloat. After spending $5000 on repairs, she started trading again.

Final Voyage

On May 10, 1953, at 5:11 AM, the 52-year-old ship sailed from Superior, Wisconsin, carrying close to 7000 tons of iron ore for the Lake Erie steel mills. Although the weather was favourable at the time, forecasts for the rest of the day called for rougher conditions. For Captains at this time, setting sail despite unfavourable forecasts wasn’t unusual. The majority of Captains and crews had experienced several storms during their careers, but weather reports were less reliable than contemporary forecasts. Later that afternoon, the forecast gale hit, battering the Steinbrenner with strong winds and huge waves. Captain Albert Stiglin secured his ship’s deck but did not order his crew to cover the twelve “Telescoping” leaf-type hatch covers, which were not watertight and allowed some water to seep into the cargo holds. Around eight o’clock in the evening, one of the leaves on hatch number 11 came loose, allowing water to pour into the hold. Crew members were sent to secure the cover, but as the storm grew more intense, 80 mph (129 km/h) winds and big waves managed to work the leaf loose once more. The storm was forcing open doors and vents, which complicated the situation. It was now too dangerous for crews to be on the deck. Despite the start of the pumps, the flooding persisted. Although Captain Stiglin made an effort to prevent further damage from the waves, by morning other hatch covers had become loose and the ship was struggling to make forward motion.

The ship was doomed as soon as a few more manoeuvres were completed. On May 11, 1953, just after 7:00 AM, an SOS was broadcast. The crew gathered at the forward life raft and the rear lifeboats at 7:35 AM when the whistle signalled an abandon ship. There was confusion as the ship sank, and several men were hurt or ended up in the water. 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) south of Isle Royale Light, the ship quickly sank. Following the SOS, a search for survivors was launched by the steamers Wilfred Sykes, Joseph H. Thompson (at the time the largest ship on the lakes), D.M. Clemson, D.G. Kerr, William E. Corey, and the Canadian ship Hochelaga.

Six men were taking refuge in the life raft when it was discovered by the Joseph H. Thompson, which was being commanded by Captain Robert F. Leng. One lifeboat was discovered by the D.M. Clemson, which was commanded by Captain Arthur M. Everett. Captain Everett carefully manoeuvred the Clemson to position the lifeboat in the ship’s lee in the face of strong winds and choppy seas, and then had the survivors hoisted aboard with ropes. After that, the men were brought to the captain’s quarters where they were given hot food and clean clothing. The men from the other life boat were saved by the Wilfred Sykes.

17 men ultimately perished in the tragedy. The crew was blamed for not covering the hatches with tarpaulins, but in a storm of that size, even tarpaulins might not have been sufficient to keep the Henry Steinbrenner afloat. The sinking of the Steinbrenner made Great Lakes vessel owners more determined to retrofit some of their older ships with watertight single piece hatch covers.

Norm Bragg, who survived this wreck in Lake Superior, was a watchman on board the SS Daniel J. Morrell when it sank in Lake Huron. He helped that crew understand their plight, gave quick advice and said, “It’s been good to know you.”

17 crew members died and 14 were rescued from the frigid waters.

In September 2023, Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman found the ship in 750 feet (230 meters) of water, surrounded by its iron ore cargo.

The most significant navigational risk on Lake Superior was a reef, which is where the Stannard Rock Light is situated. One of the top ten engineering achievements in the United States is considered to be the exposed crib of the Stannard Rock Light. It is the farthest lighthouse (from shore) in the United States at 24 miles (39 km) from the closest piece of land. It was known as “The Loneliest Place in the World” and was one of the “stag stations” that was exclusively staffed by men.

The lighthouse was automated in 1962, and the US Coast Guard continues to operate it as a navigational aid. It is off-limits to the general public and only accessible by boat or airplane.

This underwater mountain, which measures 0.25 miles (0.40 km) in length and has a maximum depth of 4 feet (1.2 m) and a mean depth of 16 feet (4.9 m), was first spotted in 1835 by Captain Charles C. Stannard of the ship John Jacob Astor. This reef, which was “atop a mile long reef” more than 50 miles northwest of Marquette, posed the greatest threat to navigation on Lake Superior, and it was first identified by a day beacon in 1868. At the time, tests were conducted to see if a light could endure in such a hostile environment. In 1866, a temporary marker was erected there. A lighthouse had to be built as a result of the Soo Locks opening and the booming increase in trade between Duluth, Minnesota, and the lower Great Lakes. Captain Stannard was honoured with a lighthouse. Of all the lighthouses in the United States, the Stannard Rock Light is the furthest from land at 24 miles (39 km) away. A superior lake trout fishery can be found all year long thanks to Stannard Rock Reef. On August 17, 1997, Lucas Lanczy, then 16 years old, caught the 61 pounds, 8 ounces (27.9 kg), state record lake trout for Michigan at Stannard Rock Reef using 12-pound (5.4 kg) line.

Maintenance workers had to hack away the ice around the door to get to the men in the early winter when Lake Superior’s waves crashed against the stone tower of the Stannard Rock Light. Before the keepers at the Stannard Rock Light received help in the event of an illness, mishap, or fire, it might take days or even weeks. It was designated as a “stag station” where only men could work because it was one of the rock lighthouses. The Stannard Rock Light was referred to by the keepers as the “Loneliest Place in the World”. It has always held the title of being the “loneliest place” in the contiguous United States as well.

For 60 years, the Stannard Rock Light keepers used flammable illuminants to light up the lantern and the dwellings; the lighthouse wasn’t electrified until after World War II. A few years later, the buildings on the pier were completely destroyed, and the interior of the tower was severely damaged, due to an explosion of gasoline and propane tanks used to fuel the station plant. Three keepers were stranded on the concrete pier at the base of the tower for three days before a passing ship discovered them and alerted the Coast Guard after the explosion claimed the life of one of the keepers. The kind Woodrush came to the men’s aid.

The station was automated in 1962 after the Coast Guard repaired the fire damage and decided the location was too isolated and dangerous. A 3,000 candlepower light was used in place of the previous 1,400,000 candlepower one. The second order of 12 bulls-eyed Fresnel lenses was painstakingly disassembled by the Coast Guard, carried down 141 tower stairs, packed in six wooden crates, and then lowered by block and tackle 80 feet (24 m) to the crib for shipment. The Fresnel lens was located 37 years later at the Coast Guard Academy’s storage facility in New London, Connecticut, after a protracted search. In 2000, the tower’s base unit for the lens was moved to the museum. The camera lens is now visible at the Marquette Maritime Museum.

The Stannard Rock Light is still a working navigational aid and belongs to the Coast Guard. The lighthouse is off-limits to the general public and can only be seen from an airplane or boat. Having warned mariners away from the perilous reef for more than a century, the lighthouse was given a new purpose in 2008 when researchers installed equipment atop the tower to determine whether increased evaporation was the reason for the Great Lakes’ declining water levels.

It is possible to reach the lighthouse by boat, but guests are not permitted to go inside.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

The merchant ship HMS Investigator was acquired in 1848 to look for Sir John Franklin’s disastrous Northwest Passage expedition. She made two trips to the Arctic before being forced to be abandoned in 1853 when she got stuck in the pack ice. She was the fourth ship to carry the name in the Royal Navy.

The 422-ton Investigator, built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock on the Firth of Clyde, was bought by the Admiralty in February 1848 and modified by R. & H. Green at Blackwall Yard on the River Thames for arctic exploration. Woolwich Dockyard’s master shipwright William M. Rice strengthened her for use in the Arctic. She was heavily reinforced with 516 in (8 mm) steel plating and timber, including teak, English oak, and Canadian elm. Ten pairs of diagonal plates and ten pairs of wrought iron diagonal riders were installed on the sides of the ship between decks. The upper decks were doubled with 3 in (76 mm) fir planking to handle snow and ice loads. To enhance lighting and ventilation, Preston’s Patent Ventilating Illuminators were installed. A modern stove system designed by Charles Sylvester that could warm the entire ship was also used successfully. William Edward Parry had used a similar or identical device in 1821 to aerate the lowest deck and prevent condensation.

Career

Investigator travelled with HMS Enterprise on James Clark Ross’ search for Franklin’s missing expedition in 1848. Captain Robert McClure was in charge when they set out on their return trip, but at Mercy Bay, which is next to Banks Island, the ship got stuck in the pack ice.

She was unable to break free of the ice, leaving her crew stranded for two years before being rescued by the HMS Resolute, another British vessel. The crew of 66 went through unspeakable hardships during those two years. Many men suffered from scurvy and three of the 66 sailors died.

Investigator was abandoned after the crew was saved and left to sink to the bottom of the Beaufort Sea, where she remained until July 2010 with her secrets frozen in place. However, due to difficulties in accessing the area—which is extremely inhospitable and frequently iced over—her exact location was unknown for more than 150 years.

The circumstances surrounding Investigator’s abandonment are not a mystery, unlike the losses of Erebus and Terror. Alexander Armstrong, the ship’s physician, published an unofficial account of the voyage in 1857.

Inuit oral traditions contain tales about the ship. The local natives used the abandoned ship as a source of copper and iron; when smaller boats were found on the shore, metal nails were missing. According to an Inuit report from 1910, “one year she had still been on the beach and the next year she was gone without a trace.” During his Arctic expedition in 1915, Canadian anthropologist Vilhjalmur Stefansson reached Mercy Bay, but he was unable to locate her remains.

Discovery

A team of archaeologists, scientists, and surveyors from Parks Canada started looking for the Investigator’s sunken wreck in Mercy Bay at the park’s northernmost point in July 2010. The expedition was the first to look specifically for the ship. Based on the original Royal Navy records of the ship’s location when it was abandoned, the team reached Banks Island in the Beaufort Sea on July 22 and started a sonar scan of the region three days later. The ship’s deck was located about 8 meters (26 feet) below the surface, 150 meters (490 feet) off the north shore of Banks Island.

An official with Parks Canada stated that the ship was discovered “sitting upright in silt; the three masts have been removed, probably by ice.” Due to the chilly Arctic water, her hull is partially buried in silt, and the outer deck is not degrading as quickly. Although the team sent a remotely operated underwater vehicle to take pictures and assess the wreckage, there are no plans to raise the ship’s remains.

As a site for archeological and cultural heritage, Parks Canada acknowledges that Great Britain still has legal ownership of the HMS Investigator.

Six craftsmen were flown by Norurflug helicopter pilot Gsli Gslason on June 23, 2017 to the Vestmannaeyjar islands’ Prdrangar lighthouse. Maintenance work was being done by these six men.

The magnificent lighthouse, which was constructed in 1939 and is situated close to the Vestmannaeyjar islands in south Iceland, was the men’s hotel for the night. The lighthouse is situated on top of a very steep cliff, making access difficult. Gsli and his passengers were fortunate to experience clear skies and good weather for their flight.

Gsli exclaimed to the National Broadcasting Service, “It was an amazing day!” We even saw a killer whale family swimming close to the lighthouse.

About the Þrídrangaviti Lighthouse

The Vestmannaeyjar archipelago’s Þrídrangaviti Lighthouse, which is 7.2 kilometres (4.5 miles) off Iceland’s southwest coast, is frequently referred to as the world’s most remote lighthouse.

The three named sea stacks at that location—Stóridrangur (on which the lighthouse is located), fudrangur, and Klofadrangur—are referred to as the “three rock pillars” in the name. It was built in 1938 and 1939, and the lighthouse was put into service in 1942. It was originally built by hand without the use of machinery, and access was only possible by climbing the tallest of the three rocky stacks, which stands at 120 feet.

Rni G. Orarinsson oversaw construction of the lighthouse and enlisted expert mountaineers to scale the sea stack. For the final pitch, they created a human stack with one man on his knees, another man on top of him, and a third person climbing on the second one because their climbing tools did not allow them to bite into the rock near the top and there were no handholds.

Today, it is reachable by helicopter landing on the helipad at the site.

Technical Notes

• Nine nautical miles away, the light is visible.
• The lamp is located 110 feet (34 meters) above sea level.
• The building itself is 7.4 meters (24 feet) high and has a single story, a deck, and a lamp on its roof.

Friendship 500, a floating McDonald’s restaurant, also known as the McBarge, anchored in Burrard Inlet near Vancouver, BC.

The Friendship 500, officially known as the McBarge, is a former McDonald’s restaurant built on a 187-foot-long (57 m) barge for Expo ’86 in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was the second floating McDonald’s location in the world (the first being in St. Louis, Missouri), and was intended to showcase future technology and architecture. It was moored on Expo grounds in Vancouver’s False Creek. Although the barge’s floating design allowed it to operate in a new location after the exhibition, the derelict McBarge was anchored empty in Burrard Inlet from 1991, amid industrial barges and an oil refinery,until it was moved to Maple Ridge, British Columbia, in December 2015. Apart from a brief appearance in 1986 by its original owner, McDonald’s, the McBarge has never been actively used for anything and has been passed from owner to owner for the past 34 years.

The floating restaurant was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for Expo 1986, and it was one of five McDonald’s locations on the Expo grounds that cost a total of $12 million to build. McDonald’s intended to keep using it as a restaurant after Expo ’86, but the barge remained empty at the Expo grounds until 1991, when the new owner of the grounds forced McDonald’s to remove it. It is now anchored in Burrard Inlet, north of Burnaby, British Columbia.

In 2003, Marvel Entertainment and New Line Cinema rented the barge as the Nightstalkers’ lair for the 2004 film Blade: Trinity.

The current owner of the McBarge, Gastown developer Howard Meakin, submitted a proposal to Mission city council in June 2009 for a waterfront development on the Fraser River, with the former McBarge as the centrepiece. The “Sturgeon’s on the Fraser” development would include several restaurants and a marina complex, as well as paddlewheeler excursions and float plane service to Victoria and Nanaimo. As of August 2010, the proposal had local support but was still awaiting council approval. The development was ultimately rejected due to concerns about float plane noise and other environmental issues.

Other ideas that have been floated without the involvement of the owner include using the barge as a homeless shelter to alleviate overcrowding in Vancouver’s current temporary shelters.

Meakin announced in December 2015 that the barge would be leaving Burrard Inlet after nearly 30 years. On December 22, it was relocated to Maple Ridge, British Columbia. The barge was to undergo a $4.5 million refit there before being relocated to an unspecified location.

The barge’s owners, along with diving pioneer Phil Nuytten, announced plans to convert it into the Deep Ocean Discovery Centre in 2017. An event to launch a crowdfunding campaign was scheduled for October 21, 2017, but it was cancelled due to weather concerns. A petition to Vancouver City Council seeking Historic Place Status for the barge received only 185 signatures. There has been no mention of a rescheduled event, and its Facebook and Twitter pages have not been updated since 2017.

It was reported in 2020 that there were plans to convert the barge into a seafood restaurant, though no location had been determined. Later in 2021, it was revealed that an unnamed location had been chosen but was awaiting government approval.

YouTube Video

Off the beaten path but definitely worth a visit is the Cape Ray Lighthouse, Newfoundland. Unnamed Road is Cape Ray’s address in Newfoundland, but it is located off Highway 408.

The free-standing, tapered, reinforced-concrete Cape Ray heritage lighthouse has an aluminium and glass lantern atop its free-standing, octagonal tower. The lighthouse directs international and coastal shipping vessels navigating the Cabot Strait, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Gulf of St. Lawrence, near the small fishing community of the same name, in a remote area on the southwest coast of Newfoundland.

The lighthouse serves as an example of how Canada’s aids to navigation system expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries in response to an increase in marine shipping. Before Confederation, Canada made several attempts to have a lighthouse built at this location before finally succeeding in 1871. In order to build a lighthouse on Cape Ray, Canada was given free land by Newfoundland. However, because the location was still considered to be a part of the French Shore, “Her Majesty’s Imperial Government” had to approve the project as well. By the end of 1870, the tower was completed, the lighthouse was prepared to receive its lantern and lighting equipment. The first lighthouse at Cape Ray was a hexagonal wooden tower that stood 41 feet tall. A rotating catoptric apparatus made of 12 lamps and reflectors produced the lighthouse’s signature white flash every ten seconds. The lighthouse cost a total of $11,347.76 to build, and Robert Rennie was hired as its first keeper at an yearly salary of $600.00 on July 13, 1871.

In 1885, a fire destroyed the original lighthouse, and in 1959, a fire damaged the replacement.

After Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949, Canada pledged support for the island’s aids to navigation program, which is reflected in the 1960 completion of the current lighthouse.

The light station was constructed to aid in Canada’s greater navigational needs, but over time it also helped to sustain the small community that gradually grew at Cape Ray, particularly for the cod, herring, and salmon fishermen who used the light as they entered the harbour. Additionally, the lighthouse’s location has been important to Newfoundland and Labrador’s communications since 1856, earning the province’s designation as a “Receiving the World Communications” site.

The lighthouse, which is manned, is a well-known and adored landmark in the neighbourhood. The site has seen an increase in visitors in recent years as a result of the community’s conversion of the former keeper’s residence into a museum and interpretation centre and the large shed into a craft shop. Additionally, the lighthouse serves as a reminder of Cape Ray’s past as a fishing village and its significance to marine traffic.

Cape Ray’s lighthouse is protected by the “Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act”. 

The Scuba News Canada covered the SS Norisle in October 2018. At that point, the legal process to “Bring History Home” had been initiated by the Tobermory Maritime Association. Before entering the Fathom Five National Marine Park, the S.S. Norisle was to be brought back to Tobermory, where she had previously served. The Township of Assiginack (TMA) then resumed its efforts to sink the SS Norisle in Tobermory as a dive site after the lawsuit between the SS Norisle Steamship Society and the Township of Assiginack was finally settled. A Facebook page was created to support this venture. The S.S. Norisle Society was attempting to restore the ship and convert it into a Great Lakes tour ship. However, the estimated costs, which were in the tens of millions of dollars, were too high.

The best-laid plans were altered September 1, 2023. The council of the Township of Assiginack recently decided to approve a proposal from Marine Recycling Corporation to scrap the S.S. Norisle. More than $743,000 will be spent by local tax payer’s money in the township to achieve this feat. Since the township bought the Norisle in 1975, it was moored in Manitowaning on Manitoulin Island. It was once a tourist destination and floating museum, but due to deterioration, both safety and the environment are now at risk.

About the SS Norisle

Along with her sister ships, the MS Norgoma and the MS Normac, which are owned by the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited, the SS Norisle was a steam-powered automobile ferry that ran between Tobermory and South-Baymouth Manitoulin Island in Canada.

The words “Nor” and “Isle,” which refer to Manitoulin Island and the Northern Region of Lake Huron, respectively, are combined to form the name Norisle.

The ship has a length of 215 feet. The first steamship to be constructed in Canada following World War II was Norisle, which was constructed at the Collingwood shipyards in 1946. Her engines were created and built to power a Royal Canadian Navy corvette, but after the war, Norisle received them. They are currently the only engines of their kind still in use. During her time as a ferry, the ship had two doors on the starboard side, each of which had a ramp for vehicles to drive up and down. She operated until 1974, when the much bigger and more advanced MS Chi-Cheemaun, which could carry a much greater number of passengers, replaced her and her sister ship, Norgoma.

Approximately 90% of the Norisle is expected to be able to be recycled into metal that can be used in other ships.

Silent colour 16mm film of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s launch by R.J. Anderson and Company on June 7, 1958. This video depicts the large crowds of spectators at Great Lakes Engineering Works, (shipbuilders in Detroit, Michigan) on the river in boats, and on the stage that has been erected in front of the boat. The launch is recorded from the port quarter of the freighter and the port bow once more. After several shots of the crowd and the freighter floating in the slip, the movie comes to an end.

Read The Scuba News Canada Article on the Edmund Fitzgerald

Since 1995, diving at the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck location has been prohibited, including the use of side-scanning sonar gear. Huge fines will be imposed. No bodies were ever recovered from the tragedy and the wreck scene is considered a grave site.

YouTube Video

The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse that can be found in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the Toronto Islands. It is one of Toronto’s oldest structures and the oldest Great Lakes lighthouse still in operation. Construction on it began in 1808. The lighthouse is perhaps best known for the 1815 murder of John Paul Radelmüller, its first keeper and a German immigrant whose death served as the inspiration for Toronto’s most famous ghost story. Many elements of the traditional account of his death have been supported by recent research, which has also helped to identify the soldiers who were accused of the crime but ultimately cleared.

The Gibraltar Point lighthouse was approved in 1803 along with two other lighthouses by an act of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, but construction didn’t start until 1808. In 1832, it was raised to 82 feet (25 m) from its original 52-foot (16-meter) height. The diameter varies from approximately 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) at the top to approximately 7 meters (23 ft) at the base. Stone quarried in Queenston is used for the base, and Kingston stone is used for the extension. A harbour fee assessed to all boats entering the harbour was used to fund the construction and maintenance of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in August 1809 and stood 25 feet (7.6 m) away from the water. Sand has since accumulated and built up over time so that it now stands about 100 metres (110 yd) inland.

The lighthouse keeper’s cottage was present when the lighthouse was opened. It was a square-log home with clapboard siding. It had two stories, with sleeping quarters in the attic and two rooms on the first floor. The lighthouse keeper would raise a flag to alert the harbour master of Toronto when ships came close. The cottage is no longer standing.

At first, the tower light was a cage made of glass and oak that was lit by candles. In 1832, the tower switched to sperm oil, and in 1863, it switched to coal. The wood lamp structure from the beginning was changed to steel in 1878. In 1916–17, an electric light was installed, and it was upgraded in 1945. Metro Parks took over management in 1958 and made renovations in 1961–1962. The lighthouse is currently abandoned, but it is occasionally accessible to the public for tours.

To provide navigational assistance along Toronto’s waterfront and Toronto Harbour since the lighthouse was decommissioned, smaller automated lighthouses (two of which are located at Humber Bay Park in the west and Bluffer’s Park in the east), the Toronto Harbour Light, as well as floating bell or light buoys, navigational masts, have been used.

The Local Legend, John Paul Radelmüller

According to local lore, the lighthouse is haunted by John Paul Radelmüller, who was killed there in 1815. Soldiers from Fort York, so the legend goes, went in search of J.P. Radelmüller’s illicit beer on the evening of January 2, 1815. But because they had consumed too much alcohol, a fight broke out, which led to the keeper’s murder. According to the story, the drunken soldiers attempted to cover up their crime by dismembering the victim and burying the pieces. During his search for the body in 1893, then-keeper George Durnan discovered coffin fragments and a piece of a jawbone close to the lighthouse, though it was impossible to prove with certainty that they belonged to Radelmüller. The murder legend’s veracity has long been called into question. If the keeper’s death story is true, as noted Toronto historian Mike Filey put it, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

More information about the life and death of Radelmüller has recently come to light. Radelmüller, who was born in Anspach, Germany, around 1763, served as a royal servant for twenty years in the homes of the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent, travelling to Halifax, Nova Scotia, with the latter in 1799. Radelmüller, who arrived in York in 1804, was chosen on July 24, 1809, to serve as the lighthouse keeper at Gibraltar Point.

According to the most recent and conclusive investigation into Radelmüller’s murder, who was about fifty-two years old at the time, he did indeed die violently on January 2, 1815, confirming the basic veracity of many elements of the well-known myth. Eamonn O’Keeffe also named John Henry and John Blueman, two Irishmen who served in the Glengarry Light Infantry, a regiment that saw a lot of action in the War of 1812, as the two soldiers accused of (but cleared of) killing Radelmüller.

Many aspects of the folktale have been confirmed by research, but O’Keeffe questioned some of the more dramatic parts. Contrary to assertions that the keeper’s body was dismembered and concealed, current research suggests that Radelmüller’s body was not dismembered and was instead discovered after his passing by the 4th lighthouse keeper George Durnan and his uncle Joe when he was a young man and his father was the keeper. He told John Robertson that he and his uncle had found bone fragments 500 feet west of the lighthouse, including, most notably, a jawbone and pieces of a coffin, which they believed belonged to the late Radelmüller.

Thunder Bay is close to one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the Great Lakes system and is situated in northwest Lake Huron. “Shipwreck Alley” is the name given to the region because of its unpredictable weather, dense fog banks, jarring gales, and rocky shoals. Shipwreck Alley’s, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve safeguards approximately 200 historically significant shipwrecks, ranging from wooden sidewheelers from the nineteenth century to steel-hulled steamers from the twentieth century. The sanctuary is home to a large number of wrecks, and national policymakers are concerned about preserving and protecting them. The sanctuary’s landward boundary stretches from Alcona County’s southern border to Presque Isle County’s western border. The largest city in the region is Alpena.

In March 2019, researchers from NOAA, Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust discovered a brand-new, intact shipwreck beneath Lake Huron that will also be protected by The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Great Lakes’ frigid waters, where the sailing ship Ironton sank, did a stellar job of preserving her. The 191-foot Ironton has been lying upright for more than a century with all three of its masts and the anchor still in place. It was also noted that a lifeboat was still attached.

Due to NOAA’s desire for more time to investigate the shipwreck, the discovery of the Ironton was only announced in March 2023.

In September, 1894, the Ironton and another ship, the Moonlight, were heading toward the port city of Marquette, Michigan. Both boats were being towed by a steamer. Strong winds nearly forced the two barges into their guide after the steamer broke down. The crew of the Moonlight cut the tow line, leaving the Ironton drifting a few miles north of Shipwreck Alley. The Ohio, a freighter carrying 1,000 tons of flour, reportedly veered off course and struck the Ironton. The Ironton quickly started to take on water after suffering a hole in its bow and made an attempt to launch its lifeboat.

The Ironton and another ship, the Moonlight, were sailing in the direction of Marquette, Michigan, a port city, in September of that year. A steamer was towing both vessels. The steamer broke down, and the two barges were almost pushed into their guide by strong winds. The Ironton was left drifting a few miles north of Shipwreck Alley after the crew of the Moonlight severed the tow line. According to reports, the Ohio, a freighter carrying 1,000 tons of flour, veered off course and collided with the Ironton. After suffering a hole in its bow, the Ironton quickly began to take on water and made an attempt to launch its lifeboat. The rope that connected the lifeboat to the ship, known as the painter, could not be cut, though. Two crew members managed to survive by staying afloat and clinging to floating debris until a passing boat could rescue them. The other five crew members perished. The Ohio sank even though all 16 of its crew members survived the collision. But the painter, the rope that bound the lifeboat to the ship, could not be severed. By remaining afloat and clinging to floating debris until a passing boat could rescue them, two crew members were able to survive. The five additional crew members died. All 16 members of the crew of the Ohio survived the collision, but the ship sank.

According to NOAA, the sanctuary will put up a buoy to mark the shipwreck’s location and help divers visit the wreck site safely. The precise location of the Ironton is not known at this time.

The steamboat Put-in-Bay travelled from Detroit to Sandusky from 1911 until 1949, with stops at Put-in-Bay and Cedar Point.

Thousands flocked to the yards of the Detroit Shipbuilding Co. in Wyandotte, Mich., on March 25, 1911, to witness the launch of Hull No. 186. William McFall Heyser, eight years old at the time, christened the steamboat the Put-In-Bay by breaking a bottle of Sandusky champagne over it. With four decks and a length of 240 feet, she could accommodate more than 3,000 people. When adjusted for inflation, a round-trip fee in 1918 was 70 cents on weekdays and $1.10 on Sundays, equating to about $11 and $17.50 in today’s currencies, respectively.

She was propelled by four coal-fired Scotch boilers and a 2,950 ihp four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine. The Put-in-Bay was the largest excursion boat designed for cruising the Detroit River when she was launched.

The Put-in-Bay was part of the Ashley and Dustin steamer line and was built by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company. The skipper hailed locals with three long and two short whistles as she cruised along the Detroit River. There were four decks at the Put-in-Bay. Passengers danced in the ballroom of the boat to the music of an orchestra conductor.

According to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, the steamship began charting its course a little further north in 1949, when she was sold and put on the Detroit-to-Port Huron run, with stops along the route. In 1951, she came to a halt.

U.S. Marshall sold her for scrap in May 1953 to settle a debt. She was dragged out into Lake St. Clair on October 3, 1953, and set ablaze to make it simpler for wreckers to get at her steel skeleton. The hull of the ship was dismantled at River Rouge, Michigan.

Facing the fury and danger of Lake Michigan.

Written by Michael Passwater.

Lake Michigan has been the site of thousands of shipwreck rescues and tragedies since French explorers first laid eyes on it. As mishaps and disasters became more common, a dedicated service of lifesavers emerged. These brave servicemen saved those on board the merchant schooner Havanna from certain death. The daring St. Joseph Lifesavers rescued the City of Duluth’s crew and passengers. Unfortunately, not all rescues result in heroism, as was the case with the doomed Arab, which went down with two other ships.

“The book is well-researched and gives in-depth accounts of twelve of Lake Michigan’s most dramatic shipwreck rescues. The author has selected some exciting and tragic lesser known stories that deserved to be revisited. All twelve wrecks involved US Life Saving Service crews and the accounts tell their stories as well as those of the shipwrecks.

Each chapter has its own detailed bibliography and the author has done a great deal of original research in the archival news accounts as well as USLSS annual reports.“

Brendon Baillod From Facebook

Historic Shipwrecks and Rescues on Lake Michigan is available on Amazon.

The Wooden Boat Museum in Winterton, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, celebrates the skill and ingenuity of local master boat builders like Jerome, who build skiffs, punts, or ‘rodneys’ using hand tools and local wood. Watch how Jerome and his crew are passing down this rare skill to future generations of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Boats were essential for survival when our only source of sustenance was the seas that surrounded us. Newfoundlanders struggled to make their own from whatever materials they could find from Fogo to Ferryland, and from Heart’s Content to Hopedale. In the process, wooden boatbuilding evolved into a treasured family tradition, giving birth to an entire legacy of cultural icons. The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador’s mission is to preserve that tradition and its emblems, which provide an intriguing glimpse into the unique places where they were built and the generations of Newfoundlanders who built them.

The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador offers Boat Building Workshops that teach the fundamental skills and knowledge needed to construct a wooden boat. Hands-on training with instruction and interpretation from our resident boat builder and museum staff allows workshop participants to actively learn how to build a traditional wooden boat. Workshops are offered at various levels, with the duration, material covered, and skills developed increasing with each level.

“You keep songs alive, stories alive. Why not keep boats alive? That’s what got us here and kept us here for a long time.”

Paul Curtis, St. Lunaire

273 Main Rd
Winterton, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada
A0B 3M0

Learn more at: Wooden Boat Museum

On July 15th, Bob Jaeck and Brendon Baillod located an historic Wisconsin shipwreck in deep water. They have now completed their work with the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Archeology program to survey and document the site and are ready to reveal its identity.

Join them for a one hour live program during which Bob Jaeck and Brendon Baillos will discuss the fascinating history of this ship as well as how it was located and documented. Be the first to see the stunning photogrammetry model of the vessel as well as underwater video.

Bob and Brendon will take your questions live.

The press release announcing the find to the media will go out immediately after the program.

Details

Event by Brendon Baillod and Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Group.

Tuesday August 29, 2023, at 8pm, live on Facebook.

All welcome; on or off Facebook.

Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1659979704469671/

From 1959 to 1974, HMCS Chaudière was a Restigouche-class destroyer and the second vessel of her class in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. She was the second naval unit in Canada to bear this name. During the summer of 1974, she and her sister ship, HMCS Columbia, were docked at the DND jetty in Colwood and served as the base of operations for the Esquimalt Sea Cadet Camp. This location was across the harbour from CFB Esquimalt’s main base.

The Restigouches had the same hull and propulsion as the preceding St. Laurent-class design, but different weaponry. Originally, 14 ships were planned for the St. Laurent class. The order was halved, and the next seven were redesigned to incorporate St. Laurents improvements. Their design gradually diverged from that of the St. Laurents.

The ships had a displacement of 2,000 tonnes (2,000 long tons) at full load and 2,500 tonnes (2,500 long tons) at deep load. They were intended to be 112 meters (366 feet) long, with a beam of 13 meters (42 feet) and a draught of 4.01 meters (13 feet 2 inches). The Restigouches had a crew of 214 people.

The Restigouches were propelled by two English Electric geared steam turbines, each driving a propeller shaft and fed by steam from two Babcock & Wilcox boilers. They produced 22,000 kilowatts (30,000 shp), allowing the vessels to reach a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).

The Restigouches had SPS-10, SPS-12, Sperry Mk 2 and SPG-48 radar, as well as SQS-501 and SQS-503 sonar.

Halifax Shipyards in Halifax, Nova Scotia laid down Chaudière on July 30, 1953. She was the last of her class and was named after a river in Quebec. The ship debuted on November 13, 1957. In September 1958, the escort was damaged by a fire that cost $200,000 in damage. A visiting engineer died after falling on October 4, 1958. The ship was commissioned as DDE 235 on November 14, 1959, in Halifax. The ceremony’s honoree was Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

Following the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces and the transition from the Royal Canadian Navy to Maritime Command, Chaudière was assigned to the Second Canadian Escort Squadron on the west coast.[11] She left Halifax for Esquimalt on October 2, 1967.[4]

Originally, all seven Restigouche-class ships were to be upgraded to the IRE refit, but due to financial constraints, Chaudière’s conversion was cut, and the ship was reduced to a training ship by 1970. Chaudière was paid off and used as a source for parts for the rest of the class on May 23, 1974.

Chaudière’s sister ship, the Kootenay, collided with a merchant vessel in 1989, severely damaging her bow. To repair the damage, Kootenay’s bow was removed and Chaudière’s bow was installed.

The former destroyer escort was sold to the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia for $1 in September 1991 for use as an artificial reef. After government funding was cut, the project to use the ship was largely saved by community donations. On December 5, 1992, the ship sank in Sechelt Inlet, British Columbia.

“Leave well enough alone” is an expression. This easily applied to the Alvin Clark, a schooner that sailed the Great Lakes for two decades in the 1800s. It was built in 1846 or 1847 and sank in Green Bay during a storm in 1864. It was salvaged in 1969 and moored on the Menominee River at the Mystery Ship Seaport in Menominee, Michigan.

Alvin Clark was a 105-foot-long (32-meter-long) square-stern lumber schooner with a beam of 25 feet (8 meters) and a displacement of 218 tons. It was made mostly of white oak, with 2+12-inch (63.5 mm) planking and 10-inch (254 mm)-wide ribs. The ship had a single deck, two masts, including a mainmast of 110 feet (34 meters), and was rigged as a brigantine with a square foremast.

On June 19, 1864, the ship was sailing empty through Lake Michigan to Oconto, Wisconsin, to pick up a load of lumber. As the ship approached Green Bay, Captain Dunnin ordered the holds cleaned and the hatches removed. A sudden storm capsized the ship just off the coast of Green Bay’s Chambers Island. Captain Dunnin, the mate, and another sailor drowned, but two other sailors were saved. A few months after the wreck, an attempt was made to salvage the ship, but it was unsuccessful, and the Alvin Clark was abandoned on the lakebed.

In 1967, a commercial fisherman hired sport diver Frank Hoffman to free nets that had become entangled on a “unknown obstruction” beneath the surface of Green Bay. Hoffman dove in and discovered the nets tangled in what appeared to be the mast of a ship. Hoffman initially referred to the wreck as “the Mystery Ship at 19 Fathoms,” but the ship was later identified as the Alvin Clark, thanks to a stencil made below decks by one of the sailors. The ship was completely intact and in excellent condition, and Hoffman obtained salvage rights the following year. He assembled a salvage team that recovered artifacts and removed silt from the wreck.

According to historian Theodore Karamanski, the Alvin Clark was the “finest preserved historic vessel in the United States” at the time. It was completely intact, with some mechanical systems still operational and a variety of preserved artifacts. Even after the water was pumped out of the holds, the ship remained afloat. Hoffman berthed the ship in Menominee, cleaning and re-rigging it before easing it into an earthen slip. Hoffman built a museum nearby and displayed the ship as a tourist attraction at Menominee’s “Mystery Ship Seaport” on Sixth Street. The ship was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1972 and a National Register of Historic Places member in 1974.

Alvin Clark began to deteriorate almost immediately after being freed from the cold, low-oxygen waters at the bay’s bottom. The museum’s earnings did not cover Hoffman’s $300,000 debt, let alone provide restoration funds. The ship eventually deteriorated to the point where it could no longer be restored. In 1985, an inebriated Hoffman attempted to burn what was left of the ship with kerosene, but he was apprehended and sentenced to a week in prison and a year on probation. He sold the ship, now a hulk, to a group of local investors in 1987 for $117,000. The investors relocated and stabilized the ship, but they were unable to adequately protect it. The ship was eventually determined to be beyond repair and declared a public hazard. The Mystery Ship Seaport and the Alvin Clark were demolished in 1994 to make way for a parking lot.

What happens to waterlogged wood?

Uncontrolled drying of wet wood causes evaporation, and when water evaporates, it exerts surface tension. This can cause the wood to split, twist, and even shrink, and if left unchecked, the wood will develop cracks and disintegrate, resulting in the loss of valuable information and even entire artifacts.

At the time, the Alvin Clark was regarded as the best preserved historic vessel in the United States. It was completely intact, with some mechanical systems still operational and a variety of preserved artifacts, but once freed from Lake Michigan’s cold, low oxygen waters, its fate became a parking lot.

We’ve all heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald and her November 10, 1975 disaster, which was considered one of the worst shipping catastrophes in Great Lakes history. Gordon Lightfoot was inspired to write “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” after reading an article titled “The Cruellest Month” in the November 24, 1975, issue of Newsweek. Following the sinking, Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices were altered to include mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard, and more frequent vessel inspections.

The Scuba News Canada: The Edmund Fitzgerald

But have you heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s “Father”, the SS W.E. Fitzgerald?

In the late 1800s, William and Julia Fitzgerald of Marine City, Michigan, were the epicentre of an active wooden shipbuilding industry. They had six sons who were fascinated by the St. Clair River’s wooden sailing ships and early steamboats. The six Fitzgerald brothers all became captains of Great Lakes ships.

The W.E. Fitzgerald was a steel Great Lakes bulk freighter built in Wyandotte, Michigan, USA by Detroit Shipbuilding. On September 8, 1906, she set sail in the Great Lakes with a triple expansion steam engine producing 1650 IHP. Her first voyage was for iron ore from Detroit, Michigan to Duluth, Minnesota.

On December 14, 1926, she was caught in heavy seas outside of Port Arthur, Ontario, and sustained damage to her frames and hull plating. Her hull plates were repaired in large numbers. In 1929, Boom Electric Welding Co. in Cleveland, Ohio converted her to a scraper type self-unloader. The American Steamship Company bought the W.E. Fitzgerald in 1969, but she never sailed for them. Instead, she sat until October 1971, when tugs Herbert A. and G.W. Rogers towed her to Ramey’s Bend. During the winter of 1971-1972, the W.E. Fitzgerald was scrapped in Humberstone, Ontario.

As the Edmund Fitzgerald was launched in June 1958, it’s possible “Father” and “Son” may have passed each other while travelling the Great Lakes.

The Walton Harbour lighthouse in Nova Scotia stands 6.1m (20ft) tall and 18.3m (60ft) above the water. The lighthouse, built in 1873 and located on a cliff at the mouth of the Walton River, guided ships into the Walton Dock on Pier Road. Two flat-wick kerosene lamps with eighteen-inch reflectors and two other lamps with twelve-inch reflectors were used to focus the light to the west.

The oil for the lamps was stored in three galvanized iron tanks. Abraham Pineo Gesner (May 2, 1797 – April 29, 1864) was a Canadian geologist and physician who invented kerosene. Gesner was born in the town of Cornwallis, Nova Scotia.

With ships loading at the Walton dock, residents petitioned the Nova Scotia government in 1855 for a lighthouse to mark the entrance to Walton Harbour. A House of Assembly committee did not recommend building the lighthouse at the time, but two years later, a lighthouse for the port of Walton was included in a list of lighthouses to be built if sufficient funds were available. After the lighthouse was not built in 1857, Walton residents raised the issue again in 1860. After that, records are silent, and Walton would not get its much-desired lighthouse until after Confederation. (1867)

The Walton lighthouse was finally built in 1873 by Timothy Parker at a cost of $620 and can still be seen along the coast. In the 1950s, Walton Harbour was Nova Scotia’s second busiest port. Its lights guided ships into Walton port for nearly a century, where they loaded cargoes of pulpwood, gypsum, or barite.

The Walton Harbour Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1986. The lighthouse is now a Nova Scotia heritage landmark (1992) as well as a municipal heritage site.

Walton Harbour lighthouse is open to the public from May 1 to October 15, 8:00 a.m. to dusk. You can enter the lighthouse and climb the steep staircase to the lamp room above during these times. A few lookout trails around the lighthouse lead to various cliff top views of the Minas Basin.

The 460-foot vessel, SS New Grand Haven (Patrick Morris) was built for the West India Fruit and Steamship Company by Canadian Vickers Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec in 1951 and operated as a rail-car ferry between Palm Beach, Florida and Havana, Cuba until 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and business declined due to the United States Trade Embargo. The company sold all six of its ferries in 1961.

The Canadian government purchased the SS New Grand Haven, converted it to diesel power, and renamed it the MV Patrick Morris in honour of Irishman Patrick Morris, a Newfoundland colonial politician. The ship was affectionately known as Paddy Morris, and she was the first CN train ferry to serve the North Sydney-Port aux Basques route.

Disaster

The MV Patrick Morris was a Canadian National Railway (CN) train ferry that sank during a raging storm on her way from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland on April 20, 1970, while responding to a mayday call from the Newfoundland-based herring seiner FV Enterprise. Captain Roland Penney was given permission to leave North Sydney ahead of schedule to assist the distressed wood-hulled fishing vessel. On the night of April 19, the Patrick Morris set sail shortly before midnight for the rescue mission.

The Enterprise, a 27-year-old fishing boat from Newfoundland, had been in serious trouble earlier that evening off northern Cape Breton. With eight men on board, she sent out a distress call at 8 p.m. and was never heard from again.

Around daybreak, a crew member of the Patrick Morris discovered a body in the water, which they assumed was that of an Enterprise crew member. The Patrick Morris was overwhelmed while maneuvering to recover the body when she was hit by a 30 ft (9.1 m) wave that smashed through rail car loading doors at the stern and she began taking on water. Patrick Morris issued her own distress call at 6:51 a.m. and sank 35 minutes later.

47 of the Patrick Morris 51 officers and sailors survived the Patrick Morris sinking. Captain Penney, Chief Engineer David Reekie, Second Engineer Joseph Henry Slayman, and Third Engineer Ronald A. Anderson all died. All 8 aboard the Enterprise perished.

The wreck of the Patrick Morris is located in the Cabot Strait, about 15 nautical miles (28 kilometres) east of Cape Smokey, at a depth of 300 feet (91 meters).

At the time of this article, it is unknown if anyone has ventured into the deep to dive the MV Patrick Morris.

The Mary Rose Museum is absolutely beautiful. It is well thought out, it’s incredibly simple to navigate with the main attraction positioned wonderfully in the centre of the building. In clear view as you stroll around the shipwreck you explore its treasure and history.

I was super intrigued when I saw a poster for the 4D dive experience. I have loved stories of its discovery and salvage since I was a kid. The attempts, the incredible effort it took to locate it and lift it safely. It is a really glorious story. 

The museum located in the beautiful Portsmouth Dockyard is worth a look even if you are just stood outside it. Its shape compliments its surroundings and spending some time by the sea in this historic spot is nothing short of splendid.

You are guided through the museum, around the wreck and up to the 4th floor where you watch a short introduction to the movie and then are momentarily immersed into The Mary Rose and its wonder.

The 4D excavation explains the story from the very start. It allows you to be the diver and see how this fragile ship was brought back to life. It was managed and protected by a group of marine biologists, archaeologists and scuba divers keen to preserve a really crucial bit of history. The human effort here, the motivation and drive to make this salvage happen was quite the feat.

Portsmouth is saturated with nautical history and there is so much there to see and learn about. It’s ocean community is vast and it is a really epic place to spend a day.

Learn more at: https://maryrose.org/dive-4D/ and https://www.facebook.com/MaryRoseMuseum

The McGulpin Point Light was built to aid navigation through the Straits of Mackinac. The light began operations in 1869, making it one of the Straits’ oldest surviving lighthouses. The light, which was only in operation until 1906, is located on McGulpin Point (500 Headlands Road), about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Fort Michilimackinac.

The United States Lighthouse Board completed the McGulpin Point Light, a true lighthouse with a light tower and attached lighthouse keeper’s living quarters, in 1869 at a cost of $20,000. The living quarters were constructed as a traditional 112-story brick structure. From 1869 to 1906, the lighthouse was operational during the Great Lakes navigation seasons.

For 27 years, James Davenport was the only lighthouse keeper at this light. According to correspondence files in the National Archives in Washington, Davenport made weekly trips through the snow to the lighthouse to report on its condition to the Milwaukee District Inspector. Perhaps more importantly, these letters show that he may have played a critical role in the opening of navigation every spring by reporting on ice conditions in the Straits on a weekly, if not more frequent, basis. Because Davenport was the only Straits keeper who provided such frequent reports, it appears that the Inspector relied on these reports to determine when navigation would be open throughout the lakes.

The McGulpin Point Light was decommissioned and privatized in 1906 after the Lighthouse Board determined that the nearby Old Mackinac Point Light was doing an adequate job of marking the Straits of Mackinac. The lantern room in the lighthouse tower was removed at some point after it was deactivated, and the building passed into private ownership. The structure was then converted into a private residence. The Peppler family put the lighthouse and its surrounding 11.5 acres (47,000 m2) on the market in 2005 for $1.75 million. The asking price in early 2008 was $974,900. Emmet County’s governing board voted in June 2008 to pay $720,000 for the McGulpin Point Lighthouse and 11.5 acres (4.7 ha) of surrounding lakefront property, including 336 feet (102 m) of Lake Michigan footage, as well as some adjacent property for visitor parking.

Emmet County has owned McGulpin Point Lighthouse & Historic Site since 2008, and the facility has been an official private Aid to Navigation on the NOAA chart map since 2009.

There are tours available. The site is about 10 acres in size and is located about a half mile north of the Headlands. It has 336 feet of Straits of Mackinac shoreline with a commanding view of the Mackinac Bridge.

The Fort Amherst Lighthouse, also known as the Fort Amherst Light, is a lighthouse located in Fort Amherst, Newfoundland and Labrador. The first lighthouse was built at Fort Amherst in 1813, and the current lighthouse (built in 1951) is the third to stand on the site. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1982 and designated a national historic site in 2014. The lighthouse is currently protected, and the buildings surrounding it are owned by the family of a former keeper.

Historical Significance

The original Fort Amherst lighthouse, built around 1813, was Newfoundland’s first. The lighthouse was built by the British inside a fort to defend their claim to Newfoundland and its rich fishing grounds, and it served the region’s expanding fishing and commercial interests. Many captured American ships were towed into the harbour by the lighthouse during the War of 1812. Due to the deterioration of the original lighthouse, a new one was built in 1852. This second lighthouse would become synonymous with naval efforts during wartime, having witnessed military activity during both World Wars.

During WWII, the Canadian Department of National Defense officially took over the lightstation and converted it into a Naval Signal Station and barracks. The current wooden tower was constructed in 1951, while the second lighthouse and fort ruins were demolished a few years later.

St. John’s Harbour, a naturally sheltered and ice-free port, is active all year and is regarded as one of the most important harbours on the East Coast. For over two centuries, the site’s lighthouses have guided vessels of all shapes and sizes, significantly contributing to the region’s socioeconomic development. Fishers from St. John’s and around the world use the lighthouse on their journeys, with the port serving as a stopover for mariners from Spain, Portugal, and Estonia. While the cod fishery in Newfoundland was impacted by the cod moratorium in 1992, other fisheries such as snow crab, scallop, and lobster continue to thrive. The offshore petroleum industry, as well as St. John’s growing popularity with cruise ship companies, has resulted in more visitors.

The Fort Amherst light station is a popular and well-loved destination for both locals and tourists visiting St. John’s. Previously, the site was a gathering place for the community, with tea rooms, a small store, and a museum in operation. Locals have worked hard to preserve memories of the lighthouse through books, recordings, and the formation of preservation groups; in recent years, a descendant of a former lightkeeper has renovated the lightkeeper dwellings into vacation homes. Visitors enjoy the views from the lighthouse, which can include sightings of icebergs and whales, as well as views of the light station from various vantage points throughout the city, including from the water and from Signal Hill across the Narrows. The lighthouse is also prominent in tourist memorabilia in the city.

The Alvin Clark was sailing empty through Lake Michigan to Oconto, Wisconsin, on June 19, 1864, to pick up a load of lumber. Captain Dunnin ordered the holds cleaned and the hatches removed as the ship approached Green Bay. The ship was capsized by a sudden storm just off the coast of Green Bay’s Chambers Island. Captain Dunnin, the mate, and another sailor died, while two other sailors were saved.

About the Alvin Clark

For nearly two decades, the schooner Alvin Clark sailed the Great Lakes. It was built in 1846 or 1847 and sank during a storm in Green Bay in 1864.

Alvin Clark was a 105-foot-long (32-meter-long) square-stern lumber schooner with a beam of 25 feet (8 meters) and a displacement of 218 tons. It was made mostly of white oak, with 2+12-inch (63.5 mm) planking and 10-inch (254 mm) wide ribs. The ship had a single deck, two masts, including a mainmast of 110 feet (34 meters), and was rigged as a brigantine with a square foremast.

Alvin Clark was built in 1846 or 1847 at the Bates and Davis Shipyard in Trenton, Michigan, most likely by shipbuilder John Clark, who had a son named Alvin. Clark, the original owner, used the Alvin Clark to ship salt until 1852, when he sold it. Captain William M. Higgie of Racine, Wisconsin, was the ship’s second owner. The rest of the schooner’s life was spent transporting lumber to Chicago.

Aftermath of the Sinking

In 1967, a commercial fisherman hired sport diver Frank Hoffman to free nets that had become entangled on a “unknown obstruction” beneath the surface of Green Bay. Hoffman dove in and discovered the nets tangled in what appeared to be the mast of a ship. Hoffman initially referred to the wreck as “The Mystery Ship at 19 Fathoms,” but the ship was later identified as the Alvin Clark, thanks to a stencil made below decks by one of the sailors. The ship was completely intact and in excellent condition, and Hoffman obtained salvage rights the following year. He assembled a salvage team that recovered artifacts and removed silt from the wreck.

Work began in the spring of 1968, and the ship was eventually brought to the surface, intact in July 1969. According to historian Theodore Karamanski, the Alvin Clark was the “finest preserved historic vessel in the United States” at the time. It was completely intact, with some mechanical systems still operational and a collection of preserved artifacts. Even after the water was pumped out of the holds, the ship remained afloat. Hoffman berthed the ship in Menominee,(Upper Peninsula of Michigan) cleaning and re-rigging it before easing it into an earthen slip. Hoffman built a museum nearby and displayed the ship as a tourist attraction at Menominee’s “Mystery Ship Seaport” on Sixth Street.

Alvin Clark’s End

Alvin Clark began to deteriorate almost immediately after being freed from the cold, low-oxygen waters at the bay’s bottom. The museum’s earnings did not cover Hoffman’s $300,000 debt, let alone provide restoration funds. The ship eventually deteriorated to the point where it could no longer be restored. In 1985, an inebriated Hoffman attempted to burn what was left of the ship with kerosene, but he was apprehended and sentenced to a week in prison and a year on probation. He sold the ship, now a hulk, to a group of local investors in 1987 for $117,000. The investors relocated and stabilized the ship, but they were unable to adequately protect it.

The ship was eventually determined to be beyond repair and declared a public hazard. The Mystery Ship Seaport and the Alvin Clark were demolished in 1994 to make way for a parking lot.

The ship was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974; Alvin Clark was delisted from the National Register on June 10, 2020.

The S.S. Florizel ran aground off the coast of Cappahayden, Newfoundland, 105 years ago, caught in a storm. On February 23, 1918, the SS Florizel set sail from St. John’s on an ill-fated voyage. What was supposed to be a routine trip from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then to New York turned tragic. The SOS transmission from the vessel was received by the HM Wireless Station Mount Pearl, which is now the Admiralty House Communications Museum.

The passenger liner SS Florizel was the flagship of the Bowring Brothers’ Red Cross Line of steamships and one of the world’s first ships specifically designed to navigate icy waters. During her final voyage from St. John’s to Halifax and then to New York City, she sank after striking a reef near Cappahayden, Newfoundland, killing 94 people. Only 44 survived.

The New York, Newfoundland, and Halifax Steamship Company, Limited was operated by Bowring Brothers. The Bowring fleet of ships at the time was given Shakespearean names, such as Florizel, after young Prince Florizel in The Winter’s Tale. Florizel was primarily a passenger liner built for Bowring Brothers to replace the SS Silvia, which had been lost at sea. Florizel was considered a luxury liner at the time of her construction, with 145 first-class accommodations.

Each spring, the vessel was modified to participate in the annual seal hunt, which provided an additional source of income. She was made of steel, with a rounded bow and nearly flat bottom, so she could slide up on an ice floe and break through. Captained frequently by Captain Abram Kean, she assisted in the rescue of sealers during the Great 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster and set numerous records on her numerous voyages to the seal hunt.

During World War I, Florizel was also used as a transport vessel. The sealing steamer could only carry 50 crew and 250 passengers before being converted into a troopship. She carried the first 540 volunteers of the Newfoundland Regiment, the Blue Puttees, in October 1914. She was part of a fleet of 33 Atlantic liners and six Royal Navy warships that formed the largest troop contingent to cross the Atlantic for Europe.

Last Voyage

Florizel left St. John’s on Saturday, February 23, 1918, for Halifax and then New York, carrying 78 passengers and 60 crew. Many prominent St. John’s businessmen were among the passengers. The weather turned bad shortly after the ship passed through the St. John’s Narrows at 8:30 p.m. Because of the ice conditions, the vessel’s log was not deployed. At 10:20 PM, after seeing the Bay Bulls Lighthouse and losing sight of land, none of the three lighthouses south of Bay Bulls were seen. Nonetheless, after eight hours of steaming southward, Captain Martin believed he had rounded Cape Race, maintained his order for full speed, and ordered the final course change to West by South at 4:35 AM.

The Captain had only soundings and engine RPM to verify DR position at this point, without the benefit of either the log or lighthouse sightings. Florizel had only travelled 45 miles and was still a long way from the Cape. The sea was white with froth crashing against the rocks at Horn Head Point, and Captain Martin mistook it for ice and crashed into the rocks at 4:50 a.m. The majority of the passengers and crew who survived the initial crash sought refuge in the Marconi Shack, the ship’s least damaged area.

An SOS was sent out and received by the Mount Pearl HM Wireless Station. According to the Evening Telegram, “the Admiralty wireless station at Mount Pearl picked up the first news of the disaster in a radio from the stranded ship: ‘SOS Florizel ashore near Cape Race fast going to pieces.”

The first rescue ships arrived on the evening of February 24 to find no sign of life. When light was seen, the weather had calmed down somewhat, and a rescue attempt was made after the storm had passed. 44 of the 138 passengers and crew survived the initial crash, and the last of the passengers and crew were rescued 27 hours after the ship hit the ground.

After

Captain Martin, who had survived the disaster, was held responsible for the disaster due to a lack of soundings taken during the voyage. His certificate was revoked for 21 months. It wasn’t until much later that Captain Martin was found to be innocent. J.V. Reader, the Chief Engineer, had reduced the vessel’s speed as soon as she left port, defying the captain’s orders to proceed at full speed. This action had resulted in the ship travelling less distance than anticipated. The reason given for Reader’s action was that he wanted to extend the trip to Halifax so that the ship would have to dock overnight and he could visit his family while there.

Medals of bravery were awarded to several crew members of HMS Briton and HMS Prospero who had responded to the wreck; these were given by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, while he was in St. John’s in 1919.

Betty Munn, a three-year-old passenger, died in the disaster. Heartbroken, her grandfather, Sir Edgar Rennie Bowring, commissioned a replica of the London, England, Peter Pan statue and had it installed on land he donated to the City of St. John’s in 1911 to create the park.

The Dokos shipwreck is the oldest underwater shipwreck discovery known to archeologists. The wreck has been dated to the second Proto-Helladic period, 2700-2200 BC. The shipwreck is about 15-30 meters (50-100 feet) underwater off the coast of southern Greece, near the island of Dokos (ancient name Aperopia) in the Aegean Sea. Dokos is located about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Sparta in the Peloponnese.

The ship itself is long gone, as the sea has dissolved everything biodegradable. The only survivor of the shipwreck is a cargo site containing hundreds of clay vases and other ceramic items carried aboard the ship. On August 23, 1975, American archeologist Peter Throckmorton discovered these four-thousand-year-old remains.

The Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology excavated the Dokos wreck site extensively between 1989 and 1992. (HIMA). Dr. George Papathanasopoulos, President of HIMA, led the first full-scale excavation of an ancient shipwreck in Greece. Because of the irregularity of the seafloor, a new system called the Sonic High Accuracy Ranging and Positioning System (SHARPS) was used to plot and map the underwater discoveries. Additional surveys were carried out, and it was confirmed that the remains dated to the Early Helladic period.

The Cycladic pottery evidence, according to HIMA, dates to around 2200 BC, making the Dokos wreck the oldest known underwater shipwreck ever discovered. The clay pots appear to be products of an ancient Argolida manufacturing plant. It is assumed that these were meant for trade with small coastal villages along the Gulf of Argos and the Myrtoan Sea. The cargo site contains one of the most extensive collections of Early Helladic II pottery ever discovered. Before the invention of the pottery wheel, this Helladic pottery technology existed. Hundreds of ceramic pieces, including cups, kitchenware, and urns, made up the pottery. Over 500 clay vases from the Early Helladic period were discovered. Sauceboats of various shapes and sizes were available. Early Helladic bowls and sauceboats were the most common types found in southern and central Greece. Following a closer examination of the sauceboats, it has been suggested that they resemble those from Askitario in Attica, as well as those from Lerna and the Cyclades. This evidence suggests that the shipwreck was located along a maritime trade route connecting South Euboea to the Saronic and Argolid gulfs. There were numerous amphorae discovered, as well as basins, wide-mouthed jars, braziers, baking trays, askoi, pithoi, and other common household utensils.

Stone anchors were discovered 40 meters away from the wreck. The anchors were two large boulders with holes bored in them that were most likely dropped before the ship sank. Lead ingots for trade were also discovered. The merchant ship carried a wide range of tableware thought to have traded throughout the region.

From 1989 to 1992, the HIMA excavation yielded over 15,000 pottery sherds and artifacts. They also discovered a large number of millstones at the site, which are thought to have been part of the ship’s cargo or possibly used as ballast. These artifacts and items were recovered from the sea floor and brought to the Spetses Museum, where they will be studied and preserved.

YouTube Video “Out of the Blue”

This is the in-depth story of the Ocean Ranger Oil Rig Disaster of 1982. This documentary is about the tragic loss of the semi-submersible oil rig Ocean Ranger and its crew on February 15, 1982, off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Human arrogance and pride contributed to the demise of the “unsinkable” Ocean Ranger oil rig. It was drilling an exploration well for Mobil Oil of Canada, Ltd. (MOCAN) on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, 267 kilometres (166 miles) east of St. John’s, Newfoundland, when it sank, with 84 crew members on board. There were no survivors.

Ocean Drilling and Exploration Company, Inc. (ODECO) of New Orleans designed and owned Ocean Ranger. The ship was a large self-propelled semi-submersible with a drilling facility and living quarters. It could operate beneath 1,500 feet (460 meters) of ocean water and drill to a maximum depth of 25,000 feet (7,600 m). According to ODECO, it is the world’s largest semi-submersible oil rig to date.

Ocean Ranger was built in 1976 for ODECO by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Hiroshima, Japan, and measured 396 feet (121 meters) long, 262 feet (80 meters) wide, and 337 feet (103 meters) high. It had twelve anchors weighing 45,000 pounds (20,000 kg). The mass was 25,000 tons. It was floating on two 400-foot (120-meter) pontoons.

The vessel was approved for ‘unrestricted ocean operations’ and was built to withstand extreme sea conditions such as 100-knot (190 km/h) winds and 110-foot (34 m) waves. It had previously operated off the coasts of Alaska, New Jersey, and Ireland before relocating to the Grand Banks area in November 1980.

Sinking

Ocean Ranger began drilling well J-34, its third well in the Hibernia Oil Field, on November 26, 1981. Two other semi-submersible platforms were also drilling nearby: Sedco 706, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) NNE of Ocean Ranger, and Zapata Ugland, 19.2 miles (30.9 km) N. On February 14, 1982, the platforms received reports of an impending storm associated with a major Atlantic cyclone. Preparing for bad weather usually entailed hanging off the drill pipe at the subsea wellhead and disconnecting the riser from the subsea blowout preventer. The crew of the Ocean Ranger was forced to shear the drill pipe after hanging-off due to surface difficulties and the speed with which the storm developed, and they disconnected the riser in the early evening.

At about 19:00 local time, the nearby Sedco 706 experienced a large rogue wave which damaged some items on deck and caused the loss of a life raft. Soon after, radio transmissions were heard from Ocean Ranger, describing a broken portlight (a porthole window) and water in the ballast control room, with discussions on how best to repair the damage.

Ocean Ranger reported experiencing storm seas of 55 feet (17 m), with the odd wave up to 65 feet (20 m), thus leaving the unprotected portlight at 28 feet (8.5 m) above the water line vulnerable to wave damage. Some time after 21:00, radio conversations originating on Ocean Ranger were heard on Sedco 706 and Zapata Ugland, noting that valves on Ocean Ranger’s ballast control panel appeared to be opening and closing of their own accord. The radio conversations also discussed the 100-knot (190 km/h) winds and waves up to 65 feet (20 m) high. Through the remainder of the evening, routine radio traffic passed between Ocean Ranger, its neighboring rigs and their individual support boats. Nothing out of the ordinary was noted.

On 15 February, at 00:52 local time, Ocean Ranger issued a Mayday call, noting a severe list to the port side of the rig and requesting immediate assistance. This was Ocean Ranger’s first communication identifying a major problem. The M/V Seaforth Highlander, the standby vessel, was asked to come in close because countermeasures against the 10-15-degree list were ineffective. The situation was communicated to the onshore MOCAN supervisor, and the Canadian Forces and Mobil-operated helicopters were alerted shortly after 01:00 local time. The M/V Boltentor and M/V Nordertor, standby boats for Sedco 706 and Zapata Ugland, were also dispatched to Ocean Ranger to assist.

Ocean Ranger sent its final message at 01:30 local time: “Ocean Ranger will no longer be communicating via radio. We’re heading to the lifeboat stations.” The crew abandoned the platform shortly after, in the middle of the night and in the midst of severe winter weather. The platform floated for another 90 minutes before sinking between 03:07 and 03:13 local time. Ocean Ranger sank completely beneath the Atlantic, leaving only a few buoys behind the next morning. Her entire crew of 84 people was killed, including 46 Mobil employees and 38 contractors from various service companies. While the rig was given an Emergency Procedures Manual that detailed evacuation procedures, it is unclear how well the platform evacuation went. There is evidence that at least one lifeboat with up to 36 crew members was successfully launched, and witnesses on the M/V Seaforth Highlander reported seeing at least 20 crew members in the water at the same time, indicating that at least 56 crew successfully evacuated the rig.

Aftermath and Findings

A Canadian Royal Commission investigated the disaster for two years. The Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster Royal Commission found that the crew was untrained, the safety equipment was inadequate, there were no safety protocols for the supply ship, and the platform itself had a number of flaws. The Royal Commission determined that the Ocean Ranger had flaws in its design and construction, particularly in the ballast control room, and that the crew lacked proper safety training, survival suits, and equipment.

The Royal Commission also concluded that government agencies in the United States and Canada were ineffective in their inspection and regulation. The commission recommended that the federal government invest annually in research and development for search and rescue technologies, such as improving the design of lifesaving equipment, in addition to key recommendations for Canada’s offshore oil and gas industry—a commitment that has been met in every fiscal year since 1982.

The wreck of the Ocean Ranger was refloated and sunk in deeper waters in August 1983 by the Dutch company Wijsmuller Salvage. The federal government had expressed concern about the wreck’s location since its sinking the previous year. The wreck of the Ocean Ranger posed a danger to shipping because it was located approximately 30 meters (98 feet) below the water’s surface. Ocean Ranger was towed upside down, with her two pontoons breaking the surface.

On the grounds of the Confederation Building, the seat of Newfoundland’s provincial government, a permanent memorial to those who died was erected.

Ghost Ships follows pro salvage diver Tony Sampson (Curse of Oak Island) and his team as they brave the shifting currents and bone-chilling legends of Nova Scotia in search of answers as they investigate underwater mysteries and long-forgotten shipwrecks in the ‘Graveyard of the North Atlantic.’

Tony Sampson

Tony Samspon (curse of Oak Island) is a qualified occupational diver and recreational master instructor specializing in all forms of marine service; an experienced shipwreck diver and researcher; and a Safety Diver on documentaries, series, and movies.

Tony is also the Owner of Salty Dog Tours out of Western Shore, Nova Scotia.

Former Professions: Navy (4 years); Police Force (12 years); Fire Service (2 years professional and 10 years volunteer); Paramedic for EHS Nova Scotia for 10 years, PADI Master Instructor teaching in Tonga, Cook Islands, New Zealand, UK, British Columbia, Nova Scotia (39+ years diving experience); Qualified Rebreather diver (Kiss and Inspiration); a variety of Overseas contract work.

The series made it’s debut in Cannes recently and consists of 4 1 hour segments.

The SS Wexford was a steel-hulled, propeller-driven cargo ship built in Sunderland, England in 1883 by William Doxford & Sons. The ship was lost with all hands on Lake Huron on November 9, 1913, during the Great Lakes storm of 1913. According to various sources, the crew loss ranges from 17 to 24 people. Her cargo was 96,000 bushels of wheat at the time of her loss. On August 25, 2000, the wreck was discovered intact and upright in 75 feet (23 m) of water on the lake bottom. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Great Storm of 1913, a copper wreath was placed on the wreck.

The wrecked steamer Wexford of the Western Steamship Company, Limited, has frequently visited Toronto harbor. Her last appearance in this city was early in the present season, when she picked up a cargo of package freight for points on the upper lakes. The vessel, which was built in Sunderland, England, in 1883, was one of the Welland Canal size, 263 feet long, and was valued at $107,000 fully covered by insurance.

The Wexford carried a crew of eighteen, including the officers. She left Fort William at noon, November 6, and passed Sault Ste. Marie two night later, with a cargo of 96,000 bushels of wheat consigned to Goderich for James Richardson & Sons, Limited, of Toronto and Kingston. After passing the Soo nothing further was heard concerning her whereabouts until the bodies of the five members of the crew wearing life belts marked “Wexford” were found near St. Joseph, on Lake Huron.

Was it a Collision?

Captain W. J. Bassett, Managing Director of the Western Steamship Company, the local office of which is at 72 Bay street, stated yesterday that the last word the company received from Captain Cameron was on Saturday at 12:45 p.m., when he sent a message to the effect that it was foggy, and he expected that he would [p. 3] delayed in the river. Captain Bassett stated that, while he did not care to discuss the cause of the wreck, he was inclined to think from the particulars to hand that the Wexford had probably collided with another steamer during the heavy snowstorm on Sunday.

Mr. James Bicknell, K. C., President of the company, when seen last night, stated that he had no statement to make regarding the loss of the vessel. “All that I have to say,” he commented, “is that the Wexford ranked among the best freighters on the upper lakes.”

No Names Yet Given

Mr. Albert E. J. Blackman, Secretary-Treasurer of the company, informed The Globe last night that he had a list of the deckhands but he would not divulge the names until he had been authorized to do so by Captain Bassett, who had left for Goderich to make a full investigation.

“The ordinary crew of lake freighters are a roving lot,” said Mr. Blackman, “and for that reason I do not think it would be wise to make known the names. Many changes are made monthly and it was quite possible that might have been the case with some of the deckhands lost in the wreck.”

Mr. Blackman stated that when Captain Cameron wired the local office on Saturday it was taken for granted that he had succeeded in getting as far as Detour, Mich. In conversation over the long-distance telephone with a representative of one of the elevators at Goderich last night, Mr. Blackman stated that several residents of that town had heard a prolonged blowing of a whistle early Sunday morning which led them to believe that it was the Wexford signalling for help. At that time a heavy snowstorm was raging.

Unable to Make Port.

Mr. Blackman thought that the fact that the bodies of some members of the crew were found south of Goderich fully indicated that the vessel had been unable to make port and had got much farther south in the storm than she really should have been. He stated that Captain Cameron was one of the most capable masters on the lakes. Mr. Blackman said he had no theory to advance as to the cause of the wreck.

Mr. A. H. Lougheed of Leuty avenue, a brother of the second engineer of the il-fated vessel, left for Goderich last night to take charge of the remains. Mr. Lougheed stated that the body would be buried at Collingwood, where the deceased resided with his wife and mother.

The Merchants Mutual Line of Toronto had three vessels disabled in the storm. The Acadian, according to latest reports received at the local office of the company, is in the most perilous condition. The Acadian is on a reef near Alpena, Michigan, and three of her tanks are filled with water. The full extent of her injuries will not be known until she is floated.

“Just as soon as weather conditions permit, ” said Mr. H. W. Cowan, “a wrecking tug will be despatched to float the vessel.”

Turret Chief Runs Aground

The second vessel of the fleet to be stranded was the Turret Chief, which after battling with the raging seas for almost forty-eight hours, went ashore on the rocks six miles north of Copper Harbor. The Turret Chief, according to the members of the crew, is well up on the beach with but a scant amount of water beneath her hull.

The officers and members of the crew reached shore safely, suffering terribly from hunger and frost-bitten feet.

Mr. H. W. Cowan of the Merchants Mutual Line said last night that arrangements had been made to send the crew to their homes.

The Turret Chief was upbound and light, and was headed for Fort William for grain. She was in charge of Captain Thomas Paddington of Toronto, and Chief Engineer J. J. Dove.

The steamer McKinstry was the third vessel of the fleet to meet with a mishap, by running aground on a mud bank near Brighton, on the north shore of Lake Ontario. She is loaded with cement.

Mr. Cowan said he had received word last night from Brighton, that the vessel was in no danger, and that the storm had abated sufficiently to enable a tug to pull her off the beach.

The McKinstry was on her way from Belleville to Fort William, on her final trip of the season.

The McKinstry is in charge of Captain A. E. Stinson and Chief Engineer A. C. Leitch.

Clippings. Date of Publication: 12 Nov 1913. Globe Toronto

“A maritime mystery drives this powerful narrative; but the greatest strength of HMS Speedy may be its evocation of a time, a place, and a cultural clash spawned by misunderstanding. Buchanan has done his research and it shows. This one’s a keeper.”

Ken McGoogan is the author of fifteen books, including Flight of the Highlanders, Dead Reckoning, 50 Canadians Who Changed the World, How the Scots Invented Canada, Fatal Passage and more.

The sinking of HMS Speedy off Presqu’ile Point in 1804 was more than just a tragedy for the families of the ship’s twenty passengers; it had shocking and far-reaching consequences for Upper Canada’s young colony.

At the centre of it all is Ogetonicut, a Mississauga First Nations man accused of murdering white trader John Sharp. As Ogetonicut’s trial approached, authorities in York relocated it to Newcastle to avoid upsetting the indigenous community amid rising tensions between the British and Americans. With the shipping season coming to an end, the HMS Speedy set sail with the accused and the young colony’s legal elite on board. However, on October 8, the Speedy was lost in a violent storm; there were no survivors, and the ship was never found.

Despite the efforts of commercial diver Ed Burtt, who began a search for the Speedy in the early 1990s, the mystery surrounding the ill-fated ship has persisted for more than two centuries. Were the remains he discovered at the bottom of Lake Ontario from the wreckage of the lost ship? Were valuable copies of the Upper Canada Statutes on board? What evidence could be found in the untouched artifacts discovered by Burtt?

This is a meticulously researched look at a fascinating episode in Canadian history, based on unparalleled access to archival documents and all of Ed Burtt’s unpublished research and records – the story of the ship and those who sailed her; the modern-day search for the wreck; a First Nations protagonist and perspective; the legal personalities and colonial government of the time – and a unique social history of early Canada.

Written by Dan Buchanan

Available at Amazon

The HMCS Ojibwa is Ontario’s only submarine that is open to the public for tours. The Oberon-class submarine HMCS Ojibwa served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces Maritime Command during the Cold War. The tours are offered in Port Burwell, Ontario, by the Elgin Military Museum (located in nearby St. Thomas, Ontario). The submarine was originally commissioned for the Royal Navy as HMS Onyx, with the keel laid down on September 27, 1962, at Chatham Dockyard. In 1963, the submarine was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, and on February 29, 1964, it was launched as HMCS Ojibwa. On September 23, 1965, Ojibwa was commissioned at Chatham Dockyard. The submarine was given the pennant number S 72 and was named after the Ojibwe First Nations people.

The Oberon-class submarine HMCS Ojibwa served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces Maritime Command (MARCOM). The submarine, originally intended for service with the British Royal Navy as HMS Onyx, was transferred to Canadian ownership before completion and entered RCN service in 1965. Until her decommissioning in 1998, the Ojibwa served primarily with Maritime Forces Atlantic. Ojibwa was laid up at CFB Halifax in 2010 awaiting disposal, with the Elgin Military Museum intending to keep her as a museum vessel. In 2012, the submarine was towed to Port Burwell, Ontario, and opened to the public in 2013. She is now the focal point of a new Museum of Naval History that will be built alongside her.

The Oberon class was considered an improved version of the preceding Porpoise-class submarines, with a different pressure hull frame and a higher grade of steel. Because of these structural differences, the Oberons could dive to a greater depth of approximately 1,000 feet (300 m).

The Oberons in Canadian service had become obsolete by the late 1970s and needed to be updated. The program was approved in February 1979 after extensive planning in 1978. Maritime Command developed a refit program that included new sonars, periscopes, communications, and fire-control systems in an effort to transition the subs from anti-submarine warfare training to frontline service. They also had their armament upgraded, with torpedo tubes capable of firing the Mark 48 torpedo installed. This would allow NATO to deploy the submarines in the North Atlantic to monitor Soviet submarines.

Between 1991 and 1994, following the end of the Cold War, the Oberons were retasked, performing patrols on behalf of federal institutions such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Solicitor General of Canada. The submarine served on the west coast for six months in 1994.

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald reported in May 2005 that MARCOM was looking to sell Ojibwa for scrap metal, along with three other Canadian Oberons. MARCOM stated that the submarines were not in good enough condition to be used as museum ships, and that each submarine would sell for between $50,000 and $60,000. She was a target in “shock” testing after decommissioning in 2010, resulting in a noticeable dent on the port side.

On June 11, 2010, it was announced that BMT Fleet Technology Ltd would relocate Ojibwa to the Elgin Military Museum in St. Thomas, Ontario. The transfer of Ojibwa to the Elgin Military Museum was approved by the Department of National Defense on December 2, 2011, subject to financial requirements being met. After three years of negotiations, the final agreement was signed on May 25, 2012.

After a short journey, the submarine arrived in Port Burwell on November 20 and became part of a new Museum of Naval History. On June 29, 2013, the site opened for tours. The financial issues surrounding the transfer of the submarine to Port Burwell were widely publicized in April 2015, as Royal Bank of Canada demanded that the community repay the $6 million loan.

Piliriqatigiingniq – the Inuit societal value or Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) of working together for a common cause – was put into practice by Parks Canada and Inuit in Gjoa Haven with the resumption of research on the wreck of HMS Erebus. The field work continues to provide insights into the conditions of the wreck and its surrounding environment, and further advances our understanding of the evolving story of the 1845 Franklin Expedition.

This year, working in close partnership with the Nattilik Heritage Society’s Inuit Guardians from Gjoa Haven, Parks Canada’s underwater archaeologists were able to return to the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site to conduct important archaeological work. This work included navigating a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) under the ice at the site of HMS Erebus in April and May and diving at the site in September.

In April and May 2022, Parks Canada’s archaeologists and Guardians from Gjoa Haven travelled to establish an ice camp over the site of HMS Erebus to check on its physical condition and collect new imagery and survey data. The site inspection was particularly important given that the wreck had not been inspected in more than 2.5 years. The site inspection was successful and the Guardians played a key role in the logistics for the spring on-ice operations including transport, camp set-up, wildlife monitoring and participation in archaeological activities.

In September 2022, archaeological research operations and excavation resumed at HMS Erebus based from the RV David Thompson and support barge Qiniqtirjuaq. The team completed 56 individual dives over the course of 11 days. Among this year’s accomplishments, Parks Canada’s archaeologists gained a further understanding of condition changes to the wreck, began excavation of what could be the Second Lieutenant’s cabin, continued the excavation of what is believed to be the Third Lieutenant’s cabin, and completed excavation of part of the Captain’s Steward’s pantry. The excavation activities at the HMS Erebus included the careful recovery of 275 artifacts from the wreck. These artifacts are jointly owned by the Inuit Heritage Trust and the Government of Canada. 

The 2022 fieldwork confirmed that physical changes to the wreck of HMS Erebus continue, most likely due to waves generated by wind storms. Parks Canada and site Guardians continue to monitor and study these changes, including the influence that climate change has on the site.

A showcase of previously unseen artifacts from the 2019 field season is available on Parks Canada’s website and through the @PCArchaeology social media accounts. Additional updates from the 2022 field season will be provided in due course.

Learn more at: Government of Canada Website

Glenn and Bessie Hyde left Emery Kolb’s house near the Bright Angel Trail of the Grand Canyon on November 18th, 1928, and began walking back towards the Colorado River.

The Hydes had tied their boat up on the nearby shoreline — a homemade scow named Rain-in-the-Face they’d spent weeks living aboard as they floated down the Colorado River on their honeymoon. The adventurous couple were aiming to set a speed record for navigating the Grand Canyon by water. If they were successful, Bessie would also be the first woman to boat the entire length of the almighty canyon.

According to The Adventure Journal, before heading leaving the Hyde’s, young Bessie looked back at Emery Kolb’s youngest daughter and admired her adorable outfit, saying aloud, “I wonder if I shall ever wear pretty shoes again.” With that, Bessie and Glenn turned the corner and headed back to the Colorado River.

They were never seen again.

Their scow, a flat-bottomed river boat built by Glenn over the previous year, was found three weeks later. It was in working order, still floating in the river, with no one aboard and no signs of foul play. The boat was not battered by the rocky shoreline and showed no evidence of having flipped over – a clear indication that the young couple hadn’t encountered dangerous waters in recent days. All their food and personal possessions were still aboard.

There was no indication the Hydes had abandoned their vessel, and there was no sign of them on the nearby riverbank.

Glenn was a seasoned boater, having already completed arduous trips like the Salmon River and Snake River in Idaho. Bessie was less experienced, but still had spent time in dangerous waters, mostly with Glenn, and the couple had spent ample time preparing for the trip.

At the time of their visit with the Kolb’s, they were already halfway through their journey. They began on October 20th on the Green River in Utah and were set to finish in Needles, California.

In the Adventure Journal expose and other retellings, it was reported that Kolb felt Bessie may have become weary of the dangerous waterway — perhaps increasingly fearful as they approached some of the most dangerous portions in the Canyon. But with nothing but hearsay and local gossip filling the news, local police were confounded. By all accounts, Glenn and Bessie had left the Kolbs in good order, seeking to maintain their ambitious schedule. There was no definitive proof anything was amiss.

After no word from the Hydes for several weeks, Emery Kolb began a search in mid-December. With the help of an airplane, the Hydes boat was found near Mile 237 on the Colorado River on December 20th. The last entry in Bessie’s diary, which was still safely stored inside the boat, was from November 30th. It indicated their last position was near an area known as Diamond Creek. The bowline from the Hydes boat was caught on something below the surface, which had kept it in place for an unknown length of time. For reasons unknown, Emery Kolb cut the bowline and freed the boat, something for which he was greatly criticized later.

Searchers backtracked from Mile 237 to Diamond Creek to search for the couple. They spent more than a month combing the canyons around Diamond Creek, but found nothing. The Hydes were gone.

This is where the story of the Hydes disappearance and urban legend intersect.

With no satisfactory conclusion to Glenn and Bessie’s disappearance, local rumours began to flourish.

Had the Hydes been murdered? Or were they simply victims of big water and bad luck?

It was true that Emery Kolb had begged the Hydes to take life jackets when they left his home on November 18th. He’d discovered Glenn didn’t have any aboard, and despite asking him to take some of his own for the remainder of the trip, Glenn had laughed off his concerns.

Had there been a lover’s quarrel between the newlyweds? Had Bessie’s unhappiness about the trip boiled over and she lashed out at Glen? Had Glen become disenchanted with his wife’s faltering enthusiasm for his adventure?

No one knows.

The rumours reached such a fever pitch they were even covered by the L.A. Times. Then in 1971, a woman on a commercial boating trip claimed to be Bessie Hyde. She told fellow passengers she’d stabbed Glen in a fit of rage. From there, she’d hiked out to Peach Springs, Arizona and started a new life. When tracked down by reporters, the woman, named Elizabeth Cutler, denied ever having made the statement to her tripmates despite several statements claiming that she did.

Another shocking detail emerged after the passing of legendary Grand Canyon river guide Georgie Clarke in 1992. Among her possessions was a pistol, the Hyde’s marriage certificate, and a birth certificate listing Clarke’s real name as Bessie DeRoss. Was she in fact Bessie Hyde? To have the Hyde’s marriage certificate was beyond strange, but despite the discovery local authorities did not reopen the case.

But the most intriguing detail to emerge since the Hyde’s disappearance came from Emery Kolb himself. After his passing in late 1976, Kolb’s garage was cleared out by his estate in early 1977. Inside they found a human skull with an obvious bullet hole. An initial examination determined that the skull belonged to a man in his 20’s who was roughly the same height and build as Glen. This sent the rumour mill ablaze. It wasn’t until 2008 when a forensic analysis determined it was not the skull of Glen Hyde. Furthermore, good detective work uncovered that Kolb had served as a county coroner jury representative for Grand Canyon and had likely kept the skull from a different case after it’s inquest.

So, what became of Glen and Bessie? And what became of their boat, the Rain-in-the-Face? The remains or Glen & Bessie Hyde have never been found, nor has any new evidence emerged that might suggest their wherabouts or what occurred on that fateful day in November 1928. As for their boat, by all accounts after Emery Kolb cut it loose near Mile 237, it floated downriver until the waterway swallowed it. Who knows what evidence might have remained onboard, and questions still persist as to why Kolb felt it necessary to cut the boat free.

The legend of the Hyde’s boat still persists among those who live around Diamond Creek.

BoatBlurb Newsletter

Typo, a three-masted schooner, was built in 1873. The vessel was built by Milwaukee’s Wolfe & Davidson. The Typo is a typical “canaler”, built at the time to fit the width and length of the Welland Canal. The Typo had bad luck. She had run aground, (Amherst Island) caught fire, broken a jib-boom, been abandoned, recovered, and repaired.

The Typo’s Final Voyage

Typo’s 26-year career came to an end when it sank in October 1899 southeast of Presque Isle, Michigan, USA. The schooner, loaded with coal bound for Racine, Wisconsin, was struck from behind by the steamship W.P. Ketchum. Only three of the seven crew members escaped from the stern cabin, which served as the crew’s living quarters, before the ship sank in 180 feet of water.

Typo has been remarkably preserved by Lake Huron’s cold, fresh water and stands upright with the foremast still attached to the crosstrees. The main mast has been broken, and topmasts, cross trees, spars, and wire rigging are all over the deck. The ship’s bell is still atop the windlass. Except for the stern damage caused by the collision, nearly the entire hull of Typo is intact. Behind the wreckage on the lake bottom is the coal that Typo was carrying and spilled as she sank.

GPS Co-ordinates: N44°59.480′ W83°02.229′

Thanks to Matt Mandzuik of Dans’ Dive Shop for his photo contributions.

The 138 foot schooner Gilbert Morrison disappeared somewhere in the Manitou Passage in 1873 during a storm. According to newspapers of the day, she lies near the Manitou Islands. The following newspaper articles of the era give details of her disappearance. The Oswego Palladium published this article Friday, November 7, 1873.

The Missing Vessel

As of this writing there is no intelligence as to the whereabouts of the schooner “GILBERT MOLLISON,” and in the minds of many there is a growing uneasiness that more than the loss of canvass or spars has happened to the vessel. There have been instances where vessels were out from Chicago as long as the Mollison has been, and afterward they have turned up all right. Two or three years ago the schooner ADIRONDACK was unheard from for two weeks after leaving Chicago, and fears wee entertained that she had gone down with all hands, but she was found at anchor on Lake Huron, dismasted, shortly after, and towed through to Ogdensburg, her destination.

This morning a cunning chap started a story that he was told by a gentleman who arrived from Detroit, that the captain of the schooner HENRY FITZHUGH saw the MOLLISON on Lake Huron, dismasted and at anchor. After some little time our reporter found that gentleman from Detroit, and learned from him that he had brought no such news, and had not heard anything about the MOLLISON until his arrival here. The story, as near as we can learn, originated in the fertile brain of the smart young man. Mr. E. Mitchell, one of the owners of the MOLLISON, is at present in Detroit and is doing everything in his power to learn the whereabouts of the schooner.

A few days later, the following article appeared in the Oswego Palladium, dated November 10, 1873, finally accepting the the vanished schooner’s fate.

Two weeks ago last Saturday afternoon the schooner GILBERT MOLLISON, Captain Joel A. Turner, left Chicago for this port with 20,022 bushels of corn, and since that time nothing has been heard of her whereabouts. Several Oswego vessels left at the same time the Mollison did, and all of them have arrived at this port. Mr. E. Mitchell, one of the owners, has returned from Detroit, unable to hear a word from the vessel, and now entertains the worst fears. The gale in which it is feared she was lost was the worst ever experienced on Lake Michigan, bursting upon the vessels without much warning, two weeks ago tomorrow morning. The wind came from the northeast, strong and fearful, accompanied with blinding snow, and continued for two days, driving vessels before it onto reefs and shoals, to harbors of refuge and some, to the bottom of the lake. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick,” and so it has been with all who have friends and relatives on the MOLLISON. Day after day they have looked for tidings of the missing vessel; awaiting for the morrow to bring something that never came, and at last have brought to look stern reality in the face. If the MOLLISON has gone, she has taken with her as good men as ever trod the deck of a vessel.

Thanks to Ross Richardson of Michigan Mysteries.

Ross’s Latest Quote

“I think its the Mollison. I looked a little in the area of her last known position (LKP) this summer, (2022) but need to spend more time out there. I think she will be found in the next decade.“

About Ross Richardson

Richardson is a certified technical SCUBA diver who has helped to uncover, identify, and document numerous shipwrecks in Lake Michigan. For many years, he worked as a public safety diver for the Benzie Area Public Safety Dive Team and as a Special Deputy for the Benzie County Sheriff’s Department.

“The Search for the Westmoreland: Lake Michigan’s Treasure Shipwreck” and “Still Missing: Rethinking the D.B. Cooper Case and Other Mysterious Unsolved Disappearances” are two of Richardson’s published books. He also gives talks about Great Lakes maritime history at libraries and historical societies throughout the Great Lakes Region, and his website Michigan Mysteries is well-known.

He and his wife, son, and retired racing greyhound, Claire, live in Lake Ann, Michigan.

Today, the bulk of traffic in the harbour is recreational. A staggering mix of private boats, tour boats, water taxis, rental boats, kayaks, canoes, SUPs and the city’s island ferries. It can be overwhelming at the height of summer in terms of the number of vessels. That being said, it’s still a working port, and freighters and cruise ships, while fewer in number, regularly visit.

There is a relatively new terminal at the mouth of the Eastern Gap which welcomed a record number of cruise ships in 2022, but cargo is the key to this port.

The shipping season is still underway but for 2021 Ports Toronto reported more than 2.2 million metric tonnes of cargo arrived.

Toronto is currently the fourth largest city in North America. It’s the land of Drake, endless construction and constant playoff disappointment. But it’s also a maritime city with a nautical tradition that’s older than Canada itself.

The capital of Ontario was originally known as York and its location was strategically chosen due to the natural harbour. Up until 1858, there were no Toronto Islands. It was a peninsula connected to the mainland with the Western Gap – the entrance to the harbour by what’s now Billy Bishop Island Airport – as the only entrance.

The inner harbour was sheltered from Lake Ontario and the massive waves and storms that can kick up. In 1858, one such storm was so vicious it tore through the peninsula and a new channel flooded through, thus creating the islands. It was later dredged and widened and is now the primary access point for large ships. It’s known as the Eastern Gap.

Today, the bulk of traffic in the harbour is recreational. A staggering mix of private boats, tour boats, water taxis, rental boats, kayaks, canoes, SUPs and the city’s island ferries. It can be overwhelming at the height of summer in terms of the number of vessels. That being said, it’s still a working port, and freighters and cruise ships, while fewer in number, regularly visit.

There is a relatively new terminal at the mouth of the Eastern Gap which welcomed a record number of cruise ships in 2022, but cargo is the key to this port.

The shipping season is still underway but for 2021 Ports Toronto reported more than 2.2 million metric tonnes of cargo arrived.

Many assume sugar is the primary cargo arriving as the Redpath Sugar refinery on Queens Quay, just east of Yonge Street, is the most prominent. And while sugar is one of the largest shipments – with 572,683 metric tonnes arriving in 2021 – it was third in terms of tonnage behind salt and cement.

Read the Scuba News Canada Article on Sugar Ships

The sugar ships generally come in very early spring and are often the first ship to arrive each calendar year. They bring raw sugar up from Central and South America, through the St. Lawrence Seaway, and into Lake Ontario.

Today we use trains, planes, and trucks to help move goods, but back in the mid-1800s ships were the primary source of economic transportation. Because of the seasons in Canada, after a long, cold winter supplies were often running low before spring. So, to encourage captains to race to the city as soon as possible, the Port of Toronto’s first Harbour Master, Hugh Richardson came up with the Beaver Hat Ceremony.

Back then, beaver-pelt to hats were all the rage, so Richardson acquired one and announced that the captain of the first ship to arrive in port would get to wear the hat – which became a de facto key to the city – for 24 hours.

To this day, the same prize is awarded. Though, because the hat is older than Canada, they don’t let the captain wear it into town. In fact, that practice stopped years ago because of some misadventures. Harbour Master Emeritus Angus Armstrong told me at the 2019 ceremony that over the years it had been filled with beer, kicked down the street, and caught up in barfights and scuffles.

Today, the hat is awarded to the first ocean-going vessel – known as a “saltie” – to arrive in Toronto. A Ports Toronto official boards the boat and, just like would have happened in 1861, the captain is welcomed to the city, presented with a cash award, and the hat makes a brief appearance. These days the hat is handled with white gloves and doesn’t actually get placed on the captain’s head, so its held just above, but the gesture remains. It’s a great Canadian tradition that dates back to 1861, which is roughly the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won a playoff round.

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Many have heard eerie tales of ships like the Mary Celeste, pushed into popular lore by famous storytellers like Arthur Conan Doyle, but there remains one ship that has strangely slipped beneath the waves of history. The saga of the Octavius is, without a doubt, one of boating’s most underappreciated legends.

The Octavius left London, England in late 1761 destined for Asia. By all accounts, she arrived in good order later the following year. However, for the return trip the captain, bolstered with confidence from unseasonably warm weather, made the decision to attempt the Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Arctic Ocean in Northern Canada. At that time, no ship had come close to completing the route. At best, it was a hopeless dream. At worst, certain death. With good weather and momentum on their side, the Octavius sailed into the channels of northern Alaska.

The Northwest Passage had long been an ambition for explorers, beginning with Christopher Columbus in 1492, who sought a navigable trade route to Asia without being blocked by North, Central, and South America. But the route was dangerous, so much so that an ice-bound northern route wasn’t discovered until 1850 when Robert McClure used a boat and a sledge to become the first man to circumnavigate the Americas. No ship completed the journey strictly by water until Norwegian explorer Roald Amundson squeezed through five decades later. It took him four years — from 1903 until 1906.

In 1761, the Northwest Passage was a mirage to desperate sailors who had neither the patience to navigate the Americas nor the humility to avoid temptation. Octavius would soon become another victim of hubris.

Flush with confidence, the Octavius entered the labyrinth sometime during the late fall of 1762. She was never heard from again.

On October 11th, 1775, a crew from the whaling ship Herald stumbled upon the Octavius. She was haggard, buried deep in the ice, and silent.

After the men boarded, they found all 28 crew frozen in time. Next to the captain, wrapped in blankets and huddled in the corner, were the captain’s wife and child. They had been locked in place for 13 years.

What makes the Octavius so creepy, so unsettling, is not that she fell victim to the same fate of so many sailors who attempted feats beyond their means. As every sailor knows, Mother Nature holds no temperance. It’s that she might have actually succeeded. But no one will ever know for sure.

When the crew of the Herald checked the master quarters, they found the captain sitting at his desk. Pen in hand. The journal open to his last entry- November 11th, 1762.

For 13 years he hadn’t moved. The last recorded position of the crew while they were still alive was 75°N160°W, which sits 250 miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska. To understand that significance, Utqiagvik is at the western edge of North America, while Octavius was found west of Greenland, on the eastern side of the Northwest Passage, meaning there was no record of her travels through the Canadian Arctic. But the location of the boat, coupled with the notes in the logbook, indicate that Octavius made it through the Northwest Passage before falling victim to nature. The ship was past the tight channels of Northern Canada. In other words, she had completed the trip — but posthumously.

There is another detail about the Octavius that no historian has been able to confirm – the true identity of the boat. There is a nearly identical story about a ship named Gloriana, found by the Try Again and detailed in a book published in 1905. In that tome, the Gloriana was discovered by Captain John Warrens of the Try Again in 1775. The details of Warrens discovery of the Gloriana are nearly indistinguishable to the Octavius, including the dates in the log book declaring the crew’s last moments. So, which ship was it?

And finally, no historian, explorer, or medical expert has been able to unravel how and why the crew succumbed the way they did. Death by exposure or hypothermia has a typical set of circumstances and symptoms, none of which correlate to the crew of the Octavius. Those near death from the cold do not take their last breaths while sitting at their desk and writing in their journal. The truth, the scientific truth, is that death by exposure is far less aesthetic.

So while details may have been twisted by time, as they often are, the saga of the Octavius is one of boating’s most ominous tales. Perhaps another journal sits on the shelf of a descendent of a sailor with details of the Octavius and how she came to rest in the cold waters of the Arctic. Maybe one day we’ll find out the truth.

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The SS John V. Moran, a wooden-hulled American package freighter in service between 1888 and 1899, was destroyed by the dreaded winter ice on the Great Lakes.

F.W. Wheeler & Company built the Moran in West Bay City, Michigan, in 1888, and operated her as part of his Detroit & Lake Superior Line. The John V. Moran was the third and final sister ship built between 1886 and 1888. Her sisters were the William H. Stevens (1886) and the Eber Ward (1888). Her wooden hull measured 214 feet (65 metres) long, 37 feet (11 metres) wide, and 22.16 feet (6.75 metres) deep. Her gross tonnage was 1350.38 tonnes and her net tonnage was 1035.26 tonnes. John V. Moran was designed to transport both bulk and package freight. As such, she had cargo hatches in her deck, and her sides. Her hull was reinforced with iron plates for winter transit. She ran between Buffalo, New York, and Duluth, Minnesota, during the shipping season.

SS John V Moran’s Last Voyage

On February 9, 1899, at 1:00 p.m., the John V. Moran left Milwaukee for Muskegon, loaded with barrels of flour and miscellaneous cargo. A piece of ice punctured her hull around midnight while travelling through an ice field, causing a serious leak. Captain John McLeod ordered that a significant amount of her cargo to be jettisoned in an attempt to keep John V. Moran afloat. The crew of the John V. Moran used her whistle to alert the nearby steamer Naomi. Three members of John V. Moran’s crew started walking towards Naomi. Naomi’s crew noticed the three crewmen’s lights and picked them up. She then went over to John V. Moran to pick up the rest of her crew. On the morning of February 10, Naomi took John V. Moran in tow, as she was still afloat. Although Naomi managed to tow John V. Moran a few miles closer to Muskegon, she was eventually abandoned as the crew realised she would not be able to survive the entire journey. John V. Moran’s crew walked back over the ice to her, in order to retrieve their belongings.

Uncovering of the SS John V. Moran

The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association of Holland, Michigan, launched a search for John V. Moran in early June 2015. Despite patchy newspaper reports from 1899, they were able to narrow the search area down to a 10 square mile (25.9 km2) grid system. On June 5, at 3:30 a.m., the side-scan sonar detected a shipwreck. Initially, the shipwreck hunters were unsure whether the wreck was that of the John V. Moran. Sending a diver down to investigate the wreck would have been extremely difficult due to its extreme depth. The team invited the Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit to investigate the wreck on July 8. They dispatched a remotely operated vehicle to collect footage in order to identify the wreck. When the team arrived at the wreck, they quickly identified it as John V. Moran by comparing the fully intact wreck seen on the footage captured by the remotely operated vehicle to a historic image of John V. Moran.

About the John V. Moran Now

The wreck of the John V. Moran is upright and remarkably intact in 365 feet (111.3 m) of water. Her pilothouse is intact, her mast with rigging is still in place, and glass remains in her windows. Her anchors and railings are still in place. The only missing piece of her wreck appears to be her funnel. The remotely operated vehicle also discovered a hole in the starboard side of the hull of the John V. Moran, as well as some minor damage at her port bow.

Her discoverers referred to her as “the most intact steamship wreck on the bottom of Lake Michigan, if not the entire Great Lakes.”

Eber Ward, her sister ship, was also sunk by ice on Lake Michigan ten years after the John V. Moran.

The Port Dover Harbour Museum promotes and preserves Port Dover’s history, with a focus on the community’s commercial fishing heritage along Lake Erie’s north shore.

The museum engages the community by actively collecting memories and material culture while also providing an engaging experience for all visitors.

Education Programs

Sailing Through Time Education Program

During this hands-on programme, learn about the history of Port Dover and how Lake Erie has shaped the community. Students will gather evidence by reading maps, examining reproduction photos, and handling artefacts.

Having an Impact: Biodiversity Education Program

For a day, pretend to be an environmental scientist!
Examine and analyse the effects of human activity and invasive species on Lake Erie. Students will work in groups to research Lake Erie’s ecosystem and propose actions to preserve the Lake’s rich biodiversity. They will use both real and reproduction specimen samples and artefacts.

Investigating Inventions Education Program

Learn about Port Dover’s unique commercial fishing history and how simple machines continue to make fishermen’s lives easier today. Students will explore the museum through hands-on activities to investigate simple machines and types of movement. They will also be able to design and build a simple machine.

Address
44 Harbour Street
Port Dover, Ontario
N0A 1N0

Free Parking

Admission: Donation

Learn more at: https://portdovermuseum.ca/

Salvagers have asked permission to raise some of the finest liquor in England, but so far have been denied by the authorities.

The prized liquid sits in the deep surrounding the SS Libourne, an English ship sunk in late 1918 at the tail end of WWI at the hands of a German U-boat. The cargo ship was torpedoed in the English Channel 10 nautical miles south of Lizard, Cornwall on September 29th, with three of her crew being lost.

Her contents are said to include sauternes, champagne, and premier cru claret, and are likely perfectly preserved in the frigid waters of the Channel. For those with an acquired palate, sauternes and cru claret are a sweet wine from the Bordeaux region of France, while champagne, with its popularity, is a sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France.

It is believed the bottles are scattered in the mud around the wreck, but there are fears that trawler nets may spread the bounty farther away from the wreckage.

Within months of the declaration of WWI in 1914, Germany announced an exclusion zone around Britain and consequently began sinking merchant ships without warning throughout the Channel. By 1917, an average of 15 British ships per day were being sunk as the elusive and hard to detect U-boats monitored English waters from all sides.

To combat the siege underwater, the British Admiralty began escorting merchant ships to try and minimize the economic impact the Germans were inflicting, but U-boat stealth capabilities were largely unmatched until Western intelligence finally caught up late in the war.

The SS Libourne set off from Bordeaux in early September 1918 headed for Liverpool as part of a group of five steamships. They were on their return leg to deliver coal to Britain’s French allies when they were torpedoed, according to the Daily Mail.

Her other stowage included the aforementioned wine and champagne, but also brandy and Benedictine, a herbal liquor made of flowers, berries, roots, and herbs that was popular among monks, as well as a hefty cargo of gherkins — the beloved pickled cucumbers.

“There were a lot of bottles visible on the wreckage, but we also felt there were a lot more under the sand and pieces of wreckage,” said diver Dominic Robinson to NeedToKnow.online.

At the time of her sinking she was 10 miles offshore and awaiting good weather to reach the mainland.

But she never reached her destination. Now her cargo is part of a heated battle between a group of marine explorers who discovered the wreck and bureaucrats from the Historic England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), according to Marine Industry News UK.

The treasure-hunters include Daniel Jayson, an expert in underwater exploration, naval historian Ian Hudson, and Belgian salvage expert Luc Heymans.

“We have invested a lot of money and went ahead with the exploratory dive knowing that the law allowed it. But we were subsequently told that the government, despite not signing the Unesco treaty, applies its policy,” Jayson told the Daily Mail.

“They have told us that we can bring up a few bottles to evaluate them — but that’s financially impossible, you can’t get investment for just a few bottles.

“There is no common sense. We’ve tried to have grown-up conversations with Historic England, but we have got nowhere. If they don’t let us salvage it, the cargo will simply be lost. It’s bureaucratic nonsense.”

Hudson also added: “The deep ocean is the perfect cellar; it’s dark and the temperature is cool and constant. Many wine houses are storing wine underwater now. I’ve spoken to experts who sampled wines previously salvaged from wrecks and the flavour is amazing. It can sell for 25,000 euros a bottle.”

For some perspective, $25,000 Euros per bottle is roughly the same value in USD, meaning each bottle would attract a tidy sum on the open market. Each bottle would be worth roughly $35,000 Cdn.

The initial exploration plan by Hudson and Jayson was to explore portions of the British coast, because unlike many coastal nations, the UK permits treasure hunting. While it is illegal to disturb any wreck that many contain human remains, Britain did not sign the 2001 Unesco treaty that forbids exploring underwater wrecks for commercial gain, meaning the SS Libourne remains open to deep sea divers.

With that in mind, Hudson, Jayson and their team created a list of 50 potential wrecks for exploration, with the SS Libourne being on the original list. The group studied shipping archives and eventually found the wreck in 2015, after which they sent divers to explore the wreckage in 100m (328 ft) of water.

The divers took photographs and video footage that depicted the remains of the SS Libourne, but they were in for a major surprise. In the seabed next to the remnants was significantly more than the 1900 bottles of goods listed on the original manifest.

According to the team, there are tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of bottles sitting on the sea floor. The majority likely contain brandy, champagne, and Benedictine, which would fetch enormous prices at public action, not to mention the cultural value to the English and war historians.

Based on the appearance of some corks that are visible on the sea bed, there appears to be both red and white wine, as well as the Benedictine. The corks on the champagne are still in place, and the ‘muselets,’ which are the wire cages around the corks, are also intact.

But it remains to be seen if the U.K. government will allow the precious cargo to reach the surface.

The group applied for permission to salvage the bottles, which would require specialized divers who would live underwater in a pressurized capsule for up to 18 days during the recovery operation. But the British government has thus far refused permission, despite the salvagers offering to donate some of the profits to the Lizard Lifeboat Station, as well as a non-profit historical group called the 1421 Foundation.

According to Hudson and the Daily Mail, “There has never been anything of this age or quantity found off the coast in UK waters. We could learn how wine is affected at depth, whether corks are pushed in from the pressure, or get bacteria in them. We know that the corks on the brandy have lead sheathing over the top so they will be in pristine condition.’

Time will tell if the British government will relent, but given the tendency of governments to get involved when highly valued shipwrecks reach the mainstream news, it seems unlikely there will be progress anytime soon.

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