Ships and Shipwrecks of Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes

2.   Tecumseh now at Penetang harbour

3.   Luckport abt. 1880, caught fire & burned west of Sawlog Point, December 1934

4.   Reliever Nov. 3, 1906 burned off Ways Point

5.   Thomas Cranage, September 25, 1911 – 305 ft.(92m) ran aground on Watcher’s Reef, enroute from Detroit to Midland, cargo and 17 crew were saved.

6.   Lottie Wolf on her way to Midland. 126 ft. (37 m) three mast schooner 1879 off Hope Island on what is now known as Lottie Wolf rock.

7.   Michigan 197 ft (89.1 m) steel barge of Hardhead Point off northwest corner of Hope Island. November 24, 1943 strong winds blew her into the shallows while unloading grain from the Riverton

8.   131-ft. (39.3m) sank near sight of Echo Island on October 4, 1884

9.   Captain Humphrey captained 216 ft. (64.8m) barge towards Lake Huron when a thick fog enveloped ship. The ship lodged itself among trees on east coast of Bears Rump Island.

10.   This ship, one of the oldest to be lost in the Tobermory area, ran aground on a reef at Bears Rump Island on November 15, 1900.

11.   Captain: Savage,136 ft (40.8m) passenger and freight steamer. Built in 1873 in St. Catharines, part of the Beatty line, chartered to Great Northern Transit company, with crew of 25. Some passengers: Dunkan Tinkiss, Christy Anne Morrison, Mr. Little (purser). Sank about 35 miles northwest of Parry Sound and 10 miles from French River

12.   Previous named “Manitoulin” 147 foot (44.1m) steamer. Located west of Parry Sound south of Spruce Islands.

13.   256 foot (77m) steamer. Driven onto a shoal near Perseverance Island in a storm. Survivors made it to Fitzwilliam Island.

14. Being towed to Buffalo by the tug “Gladiator”, when an extreme gale struck and the Gladiator had to cut the tow rope. The Hungerford broke up on shore. Parts of the wreck can be located off Owen Island Bank.

15.   Sank at the entrance of Parry Sound Harbour May 27, 1919

16.   Built in 1866, now lies off Cape Hurd below Long Point.

17.   Built about 1947 this motor powered vessel caught fire and was left south of the Chine Reef in October 1980.

18.   Built in 1863 to haul grain, wood, coal and corn. 137 ft (41.1m) schooner struck the China Reef during a November snowstorm.

19.   214 ft. (64.2m) ran aground on Russel Reef while towing schooner barges Brunette and James C. King; lost her propeller and was pounded against the reef and was torn apart. Lies south of the tip of Russel Island.

20.   175 feet (52.5m) built 1867; south tip of Russel Island.

21.   Captain: John O’Grady 139 feet (41.7m)Struck the rocks on the north shore of Russel Island, during a violet storm, where she broke up and sank.

22.    Purposely sunk south of Colpoy‘s Bay to create a holding pond for logs. Scottish-built barge.

23.   Edward S. Pease, a Scottish-built barge, purposely sunk south of Colpoy‘s Bay to create a holding pond for logs.

24.   68 foot (20.4m) destroyed by fire while docked at Little Tub Harbour.

25.   60 feet (18m) spent 13 years in the Tobermory fishing fleet. Caught fire and was towed to the mouth of the Little Tub Harbour where she burnt to the water line and sank.

26.    Gale force winds pulled the little fishing vessel from its mooring in November 1927 and ran her aground below North Point in Little Tub Harbour.

27.    Deliberately sunk in 1902 after she was no longer useful. Lies just north of “Alice G” in Little Tub Harbour.

28.   Two-masted schooner built in 1867. 130 feet (39m). She was run aground in August 1885 and sustained damage at Cove Island and sunk while being rescued in Big Tub Harbour.

29.   Built in 1879, the 122 foot (36.6m) steamer burst into flame at the dock in Big Tub Harbour, was towed away from the dock and sank close to the ‘Sweepstakes.’

30.   Standed in a blinding snowstorm, the196 foot (58.8m) steamer built in 1890, left to destruction by winter waves and wind on the southeast rim of Cove Island.

31.   The Checotah was stranded alongside the Newaygo in November of 1890. The Checotah was towed away from the site at Cove Island to safety while the Newaygo was left to the winter storms.

32.   Scuttled off the coast of Cove Island, this boat was built in Tobermory in 1984.

33.   Formerly known as the ‘Gladys’, Captain: Black Pete Campbell. Burned while moored at Byng Inlet.

34.   The Dolphin ia a 49 foot (14.7m) steamer tug built around 1900. It was owned by James Playfair. The wreck is located to the east of Westyle Island.

35.   120 foot (36m) side-wheeler, left the dock at Collingwood harbour about 4 a.m. on November 22, 1879 with 24 people on board following a terrific storm. The wind soon picked up and it started to snow. She was not seen again. The following spring her hull was discovered near Wreck Island, putting her nearly 7 miles off course.

36.   (abt. Sept. 21 1942 off Beausoleil Point. Waiwinet 79 foot(24m) yacht owned by hockey player Bert Borbeau who lost his life in the wreck on September 21? 1942. Forty-one persons were on board, some swam to shore at Beausoleil Island, others floated using life preservers, the rest perished.

37.   Failed 40 miles out of Parry Sound. The Seattle, a 160 foot (48m) steamer was dashed into the Minks, sinking off Green Island.

38.   Burned in November 1905 at Long Bay. 75 foot (22.5m) wooden steamer lies between Ward and Fairlee Islands.

39.   Captain: Pratt, 89-foot (26.7m) steam yacht originally built in Collingwood in 1894. Fire engulfed her near the outer channels of Parry Sound and burned to the water line.

40. Captain: Moore, steel steamer, broke in two during snow storm off Isle Royale about 50 miles from Port Arthur. Newspaper account of Algoma disaster.

WESTERN STAR RAISED –   Large Crowd Watch Operation at Clapperton Island

The great freighter, Western Star, which ran on the rocks near Clapperton Light in the fall of 1915, was raised last Sunday morning by the Great Lakes Towing Co., of Cleveland. This is the second attempt to raise this great freighter. During the winter of 1916, Capt. Cunning with the Wrecking Tug Favorite , worked on her, building a great cofferdam, which collapsed just as they were about to raise the boat, and the whole winter’s work was a total loss. This slimmer another attempt was made by Captain Cunning, and another cofferdam was built 67 feet below the water, from the decks of the freighter to the water’s edge. This cofferdam is said to be the greatest ever undertaken on the Great Lakes. It contained nearly half a million feet of lumber, nearly 100 tons of spikes, nails and bolts, and over seven thousand yards of eight oz. duck. The work of building this immense structure was done under water by divers. When the construction of the cofferdam was completed on Saturday afternoon, the pumps were at once put to work getting the water out of her, and at midnight operations ceased till daylight Sunday morning. In a few hours the great structure was floating and two powerful tugs towed her out of the exposed position in which she had been resting for nearly two years, into a small bay on the north side of Clapperton Island.

During the forenoon hundreds of spectators had assembled form Little Current, Gore Bay, John Island, Spanish Mills, and other places. They watched with much interest the operations, as the great freighter slowly rose above the surface of the water. Captain Cunning was undoubtedly the most pleased man to be found, he and his staff had accomplished the impossible, according to the predictions of many experienced wreckers. It was, indeed, a wonderful fret of engineering skill.

During Sunday and Monday the large pumps, never ceased their work and by Monday evening the cofferdam and the deck of the freighter were above the water so that the visitors could walk over the deck.

When the cofferdam is removed the Western Star will be towed to a dry dock where she will soon be put in repair.