Metamora (shipwreck)
Encyclopedia
The Metamora was a wooden tug
commissioned in 1864 and used predominantly for ferrying passengers and goods in the Georgian Bay
area of Ontario
at the end of the 19th and early in the 20th century. It ran onto a shallow shoal near Turning Island in Georgian Bay on July 30, 1907, caught fire and sank in six feet of water.
She was constructed at the Peck & Masters shipyard in Cleveland, Ohio
in 1864. The ship was 121 feet long, and 21 feet wide, and displaced about 300 tons. The Metamora was originally fitted out with armour-plating and a cannon, and was tasked with patrolling the waters of what was then Upper Canada
for Fenian
raiders. These were removed in the 1870s, when the Fenian threat had diminished, and the Metamora then plied the waters of Georgian Bay
as a freighter and passenger vessel.
. She caught fire and sank in shallow water, with all of her crew and passengers surviving by swimming the relatively short distance to shore.
For many years afterward a portion of the upper deck that did not burn was visible above the water. Currently the Metamoras boiler is the only portion of the ship that can still be seen above the surface. It is known locally as "The Wreck". The boiler has been painted white and a channel marker has been attached to it as a hazard warning for the boats that travel in this area. The shallow waters have also made the ship a favourite haunt for scuba divers. The wreck is located at: 45°31′43.39"N 80°24′26.61"W.
Tug
Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....
commissioned in 1864 and used predominantly for ferrying passengers and goods in the Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
area of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
at the end of the 19th and early in the 20th century. It ran onto a shallow shoal near Turning Island in Georgian Bay on July 30, 1907, caught fire and sank in six feet of water.
She was constructed at the Peck & Masters shipyard in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1864. The ship was 121 feet long, and 21 feet wide, and displaced about 300 tons. The Metamora was originally fitted out with armour-plating and a cannon, and was tasked with patrolling the waters of what was then Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
for Fenian
Fenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
raiders. These were removed in the 1870s, when the Fenian threat had diminished, and the Metamora then plied the waters of Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
as a freighter and passenger vessel.
Sinking and wreck
On September 29, 1907 the Metamora was towing a boom, bound for the mill town of Byng Inlet, when she struck a shallow shoal just west of Turning Island, relatively near Pointe au BarilPointe au Baril, Ontario
Pointe au Baril is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the east coast of Georgian Bay.The community is located in the township of The Archipelago in the Parry Sound District.-History of the name:...
. She caught fire and sank in shallow water, with all of her crew and passengers surviving by swimming the relatively short distance to shore.
For many years afterward a portion of the upper deck that did not burn was visible above the water. Currently the Metamoras boiler is the only portion of the ship that can still be seen above the surface. It is known locally as "The Wreck". The boiler has been painted white and a channel marker has been attached to it as a hazard warning for the boats that travel in this area. The shallow waters have also made the ship a favourite haunt for scuba divers. The wreck is located at: 45°31′43.39"N 80°24′26.61"W.
External links
- Bowling Green State University, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes: Vessel Images, Metamora
- Great Lakes Shipwrecks M: Metamora
- Lost Magazine October 2008: Maritime History-Growing up with a shipwreck
- Panoramio: Arial photograph of the wreck site
- Parry Sound Public Library, Wrecks: The "Metamora"