"Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours"
Gordon Lightfoot
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

One of the most interesting aspects of Georgian Bay is its' shipwrecks. Many moving stories exist and the history goes back to the 19th century merchants sailing ships and continues right up to this day. Many lives have been lost in the Bay as ships went down in gale force winds. Big ships, steamers, tugs, leisure yachts, small boats ... no one is immune to Georgian Bay's temptation of crystal clear water, rugged islands, hidden shoals and quick temper. Shipwrecks are especially of interest to recreational divers and yachtsmen who can't resist the curiosity factor of where, why, and how ships of all sizes met their demise. It is part of the folklore of the area and an eerie spectacle for those above and below the water to gaze upon the history frozen in time in the cold water of Georgian Bay.

Georgian Bay, due to its geography and navigational challenges, has more than its fair share of wrecks ... especially where Lake Huron meets Georgian Bay at Bruce Peninsula in the Tobermory area. The beauty of the area is in direct contrast to the perils that await unsuspecting mariners or those captains that drop their guard if only for a moment.

Shipwrecks are also a major tourist attraction for Georgian Bay and Tobermory is known as the "shipwreck capital of Canada". The cold fresh water is an excellent preservative of the ships and the backdrop of the very rock formations that sunk them makes for a surreal experience. There are few places in the world where one could experience so many well preserved shipwrecks with such water clarity in such a small geographic footprint. The Fathom Five National National Marine Park at Tobermory alone boasts 22 shipwrecks inside its boundaries. Because Tobermory has two extremely well sheltered harbours (Big Tub & Little Tub) and because it is at that meeting point of Georgian Bay & Lake Huron, it's easy to see why so many ended up sunk there. They almost all shared something in common - desperation, autumn gales, huge waves and a need to make safe harbour at a risk of the many shoals and the two dozen islands that guard the area. Those less skilled or down on their luck lost the gamble in the quest to reach the holy grail of safe harbour in a wicked storm that tested them to the limits in gale force winds and blinding November snowstorms.

In some cases ships live out their last days in bone yards where they are simply moored in backwaters until they sink. Parry Sound is a good example of a backwater bone yard. There are also countless boats that were towed out of harbour and burnt as a method of disposal. Once they burned to the waterline they are sunk by the choppy waves. There are also still many undiscovered shipwrecks on Georgian Bay waiting for these final moments of glory.

The following is a representative table in order by the ships lost date. It is important to remember that hundreds of smaller leisure yachts have wrecked on Georgian Bay and remain undocumented or unaccounted for. There are also many yachts and ships that get overwhelmed in deeper water and they go down in areas of the bay that are too deep to dive. Over time they get forgotten but they sit at extreme depths, preserved for eternity.

YouTube Shipwreck Videos

Marquette Shipwreck Video
Niagara 2 Shipwreck Video
Mapledawn Shipwreck Video
Philo Scoville Shipwreck Video
Arabia Shipwreck Video
Forest City Shipwreck Video
The Tugs Shipwrecks Video

Ship Name	Ship Type	Year	Date Lost	Size (feet)	Cause	Cargo	Dive Site	Comment
Midland City	Paddlewheel/Motor	1921	May 1955	152	Intentionally Sunk	Passengers	No	Part of Wye Marina breakwall
Wawinet	Private Yacht	1904	Sept. 1942	87	Sank - captain error	Private Passenger	Yes	Off Beausoleil Point 25 drowned
Indian Belle	3 Mast Sail	-	-	130	Sank	-	Yes	Ran aground Fraces Bank
Luckport	Steamer	1880	Dec. 1934	126	Fire	Passengers/Cargo	Yes	Visible from surface
Reliever	Steam/Propeller Tug	1888	Nov. 1906	216	Fire	Lumber/Logs	Yes	Man drowned exploring the wreck in 1921
Mapledawn	Steel Freighter	1890	Nov. 1924	350	Storm / Gale	Grain	Yes	Ran aground Christan Island
Nancy	Sail	1789	Aug. 1814	80	War	British Ary Supply	No	War of 1812 ship
H Bishop	Schooner	1846	1852	122	Storm / Ran Aground	Grain	No	At mouth of Nottawasaga river
Prestons Store	Gasoline Launch	1932	Aug. 1934	56	Fire	Supplier	Yes	At Minnelogashene Island
Wales	Tug	1864	1895	110	Abandoned	Lumber	Yes	Abandoned Longguisson Point
Chippewa	Tug	1874	1906	94 Tons	Abandoned	Lumber	Yes	Sunk Masquash River
Ontario	Wooden Barge	1867	1907	105	Abandoned	Lumber	Yes	Abandoned Masquash River
WJ Martin	Wooden Steamer	1905	Nov. 1905	75	Burned	Lumber	Yes	Lost after only 2 months service
Emma	Wooden Steamer	1894	July 1912	89	Fire	Passenger	Yes	Near Sister Rock Beacon Parry Sound area
Ella Rose	Paddlewheel Steamer		June 1912	99	Fire	Passenger	Yes	Burned at wharf in Parry Sound
George H. Jones	Steam Propeller Tug	1910	Oct. 1917	65	Fire		Yes	Near Parry Sound
Northwind	Steamer	1889	July 1926	300	Ran aground in fog		Yes	Parry Sound harbour
Ophir	Steam Propeller Tug	1902	May 1919		Fire		Yes	Parry Sound harbour
Atlantic (formerly Manitoulin)	Steamer	1880	Nov. 1903	147	Gale	Lumber / Hay / Coal Oil	Yes	Atlantic was rebuilt from Manitoulin
Jane McLeod	Schooner	1868	Nov. 1890	123	Ran Aground	Hay / Oats	Yes	McLeod Island
Dolphin	Steam Tug	1900		49		Lumber	Yes	Snug Harbour
Midland City	Tug	1896	1923	62	Ran Aground		Yes	Near Green Island
Seattle	Steamer		Nov. 1903	160	Gale / Engine Failure	Lumber	Yes	Green Island
Asia	Steamer	1873	Sept. 1882	136	Hurricane / Possibly ran aground	Passenger / Freight	?	120 passengers died - only 2 survivours - never been found
Metamora	Tug	1864	July 1907	115	Fire	Freight	Yes	Shawanaga Inlet - was a gun boat in 1870's
Northern Belle	Steamer	1876	Nov. 1898	129	Fire	Passenger / Freight	Yes	Bying Inlet
India	Wooden Propeller Steam Ship	1899	Sept. 1929	216	Fire	Pulpwood	Yes	Near Killarney
Hibou	Steamer	1907	Nov. 1936	122	Took on water / Cargo shifted	Hay / Flour		Raised & rebuilt 1942 - many died in sinking
Jane Miller	Steamer	1878	Nov. 1881	78	Snow Storm	Passenger / Freight		28 lost - wreck never found
City of Chatham / Zealand	Steam Propeller	1872		136	Intentionally Sunk	Passenger / Wheat	Yes	Near Wiarton
W.E. Gladstone	Tug	1882	Nov. 1908	72	Intentionally Sunk	Freight	Yes	Near Lions Head
Gargantua	Steam Tug	1919	Nov. 1952	130	Took on water / Towed to basin	Freight	Yes	Wingfield Basin
Lady Dufferin	Schooner	1872	Oct. 1886	135	Gale / Ran Aground	Lumber	Yes	Near Tobermory
Griffon	Galleon	1679	1679	70		Furs		Never confirmed as found
Charles P. Minch	Schooner	1867	Oct. 1898	155	Dragged Anchor / Ran Aground	Lumber	Yes	Cove Island
Vita	Private Yacht		1910	86	Ran Aground	Passenger Yacht	Yes	Yeo Island
Lottie Wolf	Schooner	1866	Oct. 1891	126	Gale/shoal	Corn	Yes	Near Hope Island Lighthouse
Michigan	Ferry/Barge	1890	Nov. 1943	297	Gale / shoal	Grain	Yes	Shallow water - lots to view
Thomas Cranage	Steamer	1893	Sept. 1911	305	Run Aground	Grain	Yes	Lots of machinery visible
Marquette	Schooner	1856	Nov. 1867	139	Storm	Iron Ore	Yes	Originally called Hope Island Mystery Wreck
City of Cleveland	Steamer	1882	Sept. 1901	255	Gale	Iron Ore	Yes	Hull fully intact
San Jacinto	Schooner	1856	June 1881	130	Fog / Shoal	Corn	Yes	Largely complete recently discovered
Caroline Rose	Schooner	1940	August 1990 Intentionally Sunk	132	Sunk as dive site	Empty	Yes	Shown on back of old $100 bill Sunk as dive site
Avalon Voyager	Wood passenger	1947	Oct. 1980	135	Mechanical failure Ran aground	Restauarant ship	Yes	Used to be restaurant in Kincardine - 1979
Forest City	Steamer	1890	1904	216	Fog / ran aground	general merchandise	Yes	Name of ship visible on transom
Marion L Breck	Schooner	1863	1900	127	Run aground	Brick	Yes	Scattered wreckage
Arabia	Barque	1853	1884	131	Ran aground	Grain	Yes	Hull mostly Intact
Charles P. Minch	Schooner	1867	Oct. 1898	155	Gale at anchor	None	Yes	Anchor on display at Tobermory
Philo Scoville	Schooner	1863	Oct. 1889	139	Gale at anchor	No cargo	Yes	Captain drowned with boat
New Yago	Steamer	1890	Nov. 1903	196	Blizzard / Ran aground	-	Yes	Sunk towing barge in snowstorm
James C King	Schooner / Barge	1887	Nov. 1901	175	Gale under tow	Converted to barge	Yes	Went down while under tow
W. L. Wetmore	Steamer	1871	1901	214	Gale	Lumber	Yes	Visible anchor & chain
John Walters	Schooner	1852	1883	108	Storm	Unknown	Yes	Very shallow (10ft. water)
China	Schooner	1863	Nov. 1883	137	Blizzard Ran aground	Lumber	Yes	Reef she ran into now called China Reef
Cascaden	Schooner	1866	Nov. 1883	138 (tons)	Gale / ran aground	Supplies	Yes	Went down carrying supplies to Cove Island lighthouse
Alice G	Tug	1902	Nov. 1927	60	Gale	None	Yes	Blown ashore by gale
Robert K.	Tug	1917	June 1935	69	Fire	None	Yes	Fire at dock in Tobermory
Bob Foote	Tug	1888	1905	68	Fire	Fish	Yes	Fishing Tug
John & Alex	Tug	1924	Dec. 1947	59	Fire	None	Yes	Fire at dock Tobermory
City of Grand Rapids	Steamer	1879	1907	122	Burned	Passenger	Yes	Towed from harbour on fire but drifted back to Big Tub Harbour
Sweepstakes	Schooner	1867	1885	119	Sunk at salvage	Empty	Yes	Located in Tobermory Big Tub Harbour
Wabuno	Paddlewheel Steamer	1865	Nov. 1879	135	Gale	Passenger / Supply	Yes	23 passengers lost with ship near Parry Sound
Manasoo	Steamer	1888	Sept. 1928	178	Gale	Cattle / Passenger	-	Built in Scotland 16 of 21 died in wreck
Hibou	Steamer	1907	Nov. 1936	122	Gale	Flour	-	7 of 17 died near Owen Sound
Mary Ward	Steamer	1864	Nov. 1872	139	Ran aground mistook lighthouse	Salt, coal oil, & acid & passengers	-	8 died near Craigleith
Manitoulin	Steamer	1880	May 1882	152	Caught fire	Passengers	-	11 of 25 died near Manitowaning
J.H. Jones	Steamer	1888	Nov. 1906	107	Gale	Bricks / Machinery	-	26 of 26 died off Cape Croker
City of Owen Sound / Saturn	Steamer	1875	Oct. 1887	172	Gale / ran aground	-	-	Crew survived Claperton Island North Channel

"The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too
Twas the witch of November come stealing"
Gordon Lightfoot
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Steamer ASIA Disaster - September 1882
STORY OF THE ASIA'S WRECK

THE STEAMER FOUNDERS IN A STORM -- ESCAPE IN THE BOATS -- SUFFERINGS OF A NIGHT.

Collingwood, Ontario, Sept. 17. -- The following report, sent from Parry Sound by Mr. J. C. Miller, has just reached here by the hand of Capt. John Daney, of the tug Minnehaha, giving the details of the loss of the steamer Asia, of the Great Northern Transit Company's Line, which left here on Wednesday evening last for French River and Sault Ste. Marie.

Capt. H. M. McGREGOR reached here yesterday by tug from Owen Sound, and reported passing the wreckage of a steamer off the Limestone Island. He picked up and brought with him a trunk, door, and pillow slip marked "steamer Asia." About 10 o'clock this morning an Indian boat reached here from Point du Barry, about 35 miles distant, bringing MR. D. A. TINKIS, of Manitoaning, and MISS CHRISTIANA MORRISON, from near Owen Sound supposed to be the only two survivors of the ill fated steamer. MR. TINKIS makes the following statement:

"I went aboard the Asia at Owen Sound about midnight Wednesday in company with J. H. TINKIS and H. B. GALLAGHER, both of Manitowaning. The steamer was crowded, all the state rooms being full, and many of the passengers lying on sofas and on the cabin floor. All went well until about 11 o'clock on Thursday morning, when a storm struck us. I was in my berth at the time. My uncle J. H. TINKIS, jumped up and said the boat was doomed. Dishes and chairs were flying in every direction. We left the cabin and found difficulty in getting on deck, the boat was folling so heavily. I got a life preserver and put it on. The boat went into the trough of the sea and would not obey her helm . She rolled heavily for about 90 minutes, when she was struck by a heavy sea and foundered, going down, with engines working about 11:30 o'clock. The Asia was making for French River, and had on board men, horses, and lumbermen's supplies for shanties there. I saw three boats loaded. I was in the first. About eight were with me. At first more got in until the boat was overloaded and turned over twice. Parties were hanging on to my life preserver, which got displaced, and I threw it off. I then left the boat and swam to the Captain's boat, which was near by, and asked JOHN McDOUGALL, the purser to help me in. He said it was but little use, but gave me his hand. When I got in there were 18 in the boat and by that time there was a large number in and clinging to the boat I had left. I know nothing of the third boat. our boat rolled over and I remember missing McDOUGALL a few minutes afterward. People were hanging to spars and other parts of the wreck. Our boat was full of water and the sea was constantly breaking over us. One of the first to die on board was a cabin boy. He was dying and being supported by one of the men when a wave washed him overboard. The next to go was a boathand, who jumped out. I could see him paddling around in the water for mearly 100 yards. Our number was now reduced to seven persons five of whom died before reaching the beach. CAPT. SAVAGE, who was the last to die, expiring in my arms about midnight on Thursday. MR. JOHN LITTLE, of Sault Ste. Marie; Mate McDONALD, and two others, whose names are unknown. The boat finally stranded near Point au Baril at daylight, Friday, with MISS MORRISON and myself the only survivors. I put the bodies of the dead out on the beach, and pried the boat off with an oar, but did not bale it out. MISS MORRISON and I went down the beach in the boat to a derrick about two miles distant, and remained on the beach all night. At about 8 o'clock Saturday morning an Indian came along and I engaged him to bring us to Parry Sound. He would not bring the bodies."

The steamer Northern Belle, of the same line which reached here this morning, has been furnished with ice & coffins, and has left to bring the bodies. MISS MORRISON and MR TINKIS are being well cared for here, and the Doctor thinks that neither will suffer materially from the long exposure. There were probably about 100 persons on board the Asia.

New York Times New York 1882-09-18
Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler.

Most of the scuba diving charters are focused around the Tobermory area. Here is a list of companies that provide scuba diving excursions:

Store City/Town Phone South of the Surface   Owen Sound (519) 372 9346 Georgian Bay Divers   Tiny (647) 328 9941 Tobermory Aquasports   Tobermory (519) 596-8474 Divers Den   Tobermory (519) 596-2363 G & S Wakesports   Tobermory (519) 596-2200 TechBay Marina   Tobermory (519) 270-0612 Georgian Adventure Dive Club   Balm Beach (519) 361-3751 Divers Nook   Parry Sound (705) 746-9757 Neptunes Locker   Penetanguishene (705) 549-6444

For recreational gunk holers, next time you are at anchor in a quiet anchorage, put your fins and snorkel on and check out the history below. Many isolated anchorages were refuge to yachts seeking shelter in storms only to be caught off guard by gale force wind shifts that took them onto the rocks or shoals. A word to the wise - many anchorages in moderate winds will hold an anchor fast but in gale force winds the smooth rock bottom covered by several feet of mud and debris will not hold an anchor fast and dragging becomes the problem. When in doubt, two anchors Bahama style is usually the best option to make sure you get a good nights sleep.

Last but not least, in our modern age, technology has assisted greatly in navigation ability and thankfully chances at wrecking are diminished but every sailor or yachtsman should learn to dead reckon and not depend totally on their GPS or chart plotters.

Want To Know Where The Oldest Shipwreck In The Western Hemisphere Lies?  Here's a clue it's not Georgian Bay. It's in the Turks & Caicos just off of the Caicos Bank near French Cay. For 450 years the ship lied wrecked and undiscovered. In 1976 unlicensed treasure hunters discovered a wreck on Molasses Reef from an era about 1513 on a reef located on the southern fringe of the Caicos Bank.This ship is now known only as the Molasses Reef Wreck and  is the oldest European shipwreck excavated in the Western Hemisphere.

Many ancient ships are known to have been lost in the Americas by 1520 but none of them can be matched to the Molasses Reef Wreck. The lack of personal possessions in the wreck indicates that the crew was able to abandon ship. Four sets of bilboes were found at the wreck site. The bilboes were often used to restrain slaves aboard ships. The ship may have been hunting for Lucayans slaves in the Bahama Islands that now includes the separate Turks and Caicos Islands. By 1513 almost all of the Lucayans had been removed from the southern Bahama Islands. This along with other evidence would support with a wreck date no later than 1513. 

In 1980, a salvage company organized by those treasure hunters applied for a license from the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to explore and salvage shipwrecks. After receiving the license the company leaped to the conclusion they had discovered the wreck of the Columbus ship NINA ... a wreck that would be worth more than any cargo. Concerned about the salvage company the Turks and Caicos Islands government invited the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University to do an archaeology survey of the wreck site. Later a new group arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands claiming to have inherited the rights of the earlier salvage company. After getting government permission to explore wrecks other than the Molasses Reef wreck (but not to remove any artefacts) the salvage company proceeded to steal artefacts from numerous sites including Molasses Reef. The government then revoked the company's salvage license. The Turks & Caicos National Government recognized that the wreck was one of the oldest wrecks ever found in the Western Hemisphere and took over management of the site on the basis of legislation passed in 1974.

The Government contracted with underwater archaeologists from Texas A&M University to excavate the wreck in 1980. The team, led by Dr. Donald H. Keith, began work in 1981, but not before a team of illegal treasure seekers pipe bombed the wreck looking for treasure. In addition to damaging the site the looters stole artefacts. Recently a wrought-iron ordnance surfaced in Harrisburg Pennsylvania that had been stolen from the wreck site at the time of the illegal bombing. Dr. Keith's team excavated the Molasses Reef Wreck between 1981 and 1986. Most of what was salvaged was preserved under the ballast stones of the ship. The Molasses Reef Wreck is still a mystery. The Spanish were good record keepers but much of the documentation from this period no longer exists. While archaeology has provided many clues about the ship's general identity, no clue to the ship's individual identity has ever been found. There was no proof it was one of the Columbus ships ... but it still was a very old wreck as dated by pre cast iron cannons made of wrought iron. At the time the Molasses Reef wreck occurred, Spain was beginning its domination of the New World that lasted 350 years. This domination was a result of Columbus discoveries.

The Museum in Grand Turk island houses the complete assembly of conserved artefacts from this famous wreck including cannons, cannon balls, hull pieces, surgical instruments, jars, tools and rigging and is well worth visiting for the small $5 fee. The Turks & Caicos is one of the best dive sites in the world due to extensive reefs and very deep canyons that drop off outside the reefs. Sailors were often fooled by the abruptness of going from un-measureable depths to reefs in just a few feet. One other famous ship the US Navy schooner Onkahye built in 1839 sunk in 1848. This boat was a fast dispatch ship used to track down pirates, seek out slave ships and move secret documents quickly. This ship would later become the model for the first Americas Cup racing boats. The shipwreck is well documented by the crew ... but the actual wreck has never been found. It may have slipped from reef into the abyss after it tried to navigate the Caicos Passage as night fell. The US navy brig Chippewa sunk in the same place 32 years later. Many ships faltered when observing "false" reefs only to find themselves trapped between two parallel reefs with strong currents, rather than out in the deep channel where they thought they were.