sos newsletter - Save Ontario Shipwrecks

ISSN NO 1180-1972
SOS NEWSLETTER
August 2010
SOS NEWSLETTER
P.O. Box 2389
Blenheim, ON N0P 1A0
Fax: 519-676-7058
http://www.saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca
Editor/Designer:
Krissy Nickle
krissy@nickle.ca
From the Editor:
As Newsletter Editor, I would like to
apologize to the membership for having to cancel
the May 2010 issue due to lack of content. I
would also like to thank everyone who
contributed to this August 2010 issue.
I
encourage everyone to keep the submissions
The SOS Newsletter is
published four times a year in
February, May, August, and
November. This issue is
published August 2010.
The SOS Newsletter is
published by Save Ontario
Shipwrecks (SOS), a nonprofit charitable organization
dedicated to furthering public
knowledge and appreciation of
Ontario’s Marine Heritage.
coming so that we can keep putting out an
interesting and informative Newsletter!
Enjoy the issue,
We encourage reproduction of
our
newsletter
contents.
Credits should read: From the
SOS Newsletter, date of issue,
a publication of Save Ontario
Shipwrecks.
Opinions
expressed
by
contributors to the newsletter
are not necessarily those of the
Editor or the Board of SOS.
Save Ontario Shipwrecks
gratefully acknowledges the
support and financial assistance of the Ontario Ministry
of Culture.
Submission deadline
for the next issue is
October 31, 2010.
The Mission of Save Ontario Shipwrecks is the
preservation and promotion of marine heritage
through research, conservation and education.
’Ž ȱ›˜–ȱ‘Žȱ›’Ž
If you're reading this, I'd like to thank you for your interest in our
Maritime Heritage and your support for Save Ontario Shipwrecks. SOS is
the premier Provincial organisation promoting awareness of our
underwater riches and contributing to their protection in a very practical
sense. Working with many other bodies that share our values, we perform
our various functions in an increasingly challenging environment. Funds,
which have never been easy to find, are now harder than ever to secure.
Perhaps harder still to come by are those volunteer hours that our members
contribute and that enable us to fulfill our core roles. I assumed the
Presidency from a tireless and energetic individual, Brian Prince, and I
would like to pay tribute here to his considerable achievements. I seek to
continue the work that he began and to search constantly for new ways to
make SOS attractive to a wider audience as well as to our loyal and hardworking members. I'm also very keen to see if we can't find a way to
stimulate activities at the Chapter level. It's here that the real work is done
and that our Organisation typically meets the public. It should be here too
that most influence is exercised over matters of education and protection.
These are only my views and I'd be delighted if anyone reading these brief
notes felt the need to debate with me on the point.
It would be relevant, I'm sure, to give you an idea of my background. I
moved to Canada in 2004 on the conclusion of a full career in the British
Army. As an experienced diving instructor, I quickly associated myself
with a scuba club in Kingston and began teaching in local waters. The
wonderful maritime legacy accessible across the Province of Ontario very
quickly came to my attention, leading to involvement with, and ultimately
direction of, Preserve Our Wrecks, Kingston. But, I was always aware of
SOS Newsletter
1
the bigger picture, and undertaking Nautical Archaeology Society training
in 2007 opened my eyes to the work of Save Ontario Shipwrecks. I have
participated in surveys in the St Lawrence and Kingston, greatly enjoying
the challenges such work inevitably presents.
Enjoy this Summer newsletter and its articles - and ask yourself whether
you don't have something to contribute to the next edition. I look forward
to meeting many of you in the months ahead and hope that you'll get in
touch with me, if you have something that you think I should hear.
Mike Hill
SOS President
2
August 2010
SOS Board Elections at AGM
The new face of underwater archaeology in Ontario
(Toronto ON, June 2nd 2010) Save Ontario Shipwrecks selected
its 2010 Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting in
London on April 10th. Held in conjunction with the Museum of
Ontario Archaeology’s 8th Annual Underwater Heritage
Preservation event, the meeting brought together dedicated
amateur marine archaeologists from across southern Ontario.
The new Board of Directors will continue Save Ontario
Shipwrecks’ 29 years of service for preserving the cultural
heritage of this province’s waterways.
As the new President of SOS, Michael Hill brings considerable
experience as the leader of Preserve Our Wrecks, our Kingstonarea sister organization. He will be assisted in this position by
Brian Prince, who has agreed to remain on the Board as Past
President after many years of service. Krissy Nickle will bring
land-based archaeological experience in Ontario as VicePresident, while Prof. David Taylor of McMaster University will
act as Treasurer. Jonathan Ferguson, a doctoral candidate in
Near Eastern archaeology at the University of Toronto, has
assumed the role of Secretary. The Board wished to welcome and
introduce our newly-elected Directors, Christopher Phinney and
Bryan Thomas, who bring practical underwater archaeology
experience as members of the avocational group Liquid
Archaeology. Chris acts as our Lead Tutor for courses accredited
by the Nautical Archaeology Society, while Bryan is a Tutor-intraining.
The Board also wishes to thank two outgoing Directors for their
service to Save Ontario Shipwrecks: Marg Barker and Brian
Nickle. Marg has served on the Board for many years as
Secretary and Treasurer, and will continue her commitment as
Quartermaster of our online store.
SOS Newsletter
3
Also from the AGM...
This year's SOS Directors Award went to
the very worthy Brian Prince. In his four
years as President of SOS Brian kept the
organization moving forward on many fronts.
Brian has been instrumental to many recent
SOS initiatives, including design and
production of our new educational display, the
online membership database program, our
Training partnership with the Nautical Archaeology Society, and the
creation of the SOS Strategic Plan. Brian has been a great ambassador
for SOS when dealing with the Province of Ontario, Parks Canada, and
many other organizations. We thank him for his dedicated years of
service. (Photo: Brian Prince, right, accepting the 2010 SOS Directors
Award from then-Vice-President, Mike Hill. Photo by Lucy Prince.)
The SOS Marine Heritage Award
was given this year to (former) diver,
historian, activist, and all-round marine
heritage enthusiast Paul Carroll. The
most recent of Paul's achievements has
been the publishing of his newest book,
The Wexford: Elusive Shipwreck of the
Great Storm, 1913. Paul is a long-time
member of SOS and he has been a tireless campaigner for the
recognition and appreciation of the maritime history to be found in and
around Lake Huron. His bibliography includes not only several books,
but also numerous articles for the Huron County Historical Society, and
he was a key organizer of the annual Port of Goderich Marine Heritage
Festivals. We here at SOS would like to thank Paul for his continued
contributions to Ontario's marine heritage.(Photo: Krissy Nickle, right,
accepting the 2010 SOS Marine Heritage Award on behalf of fellow SOS
Huron Shores member Paul Carroll. Photo by Lucy Prince.)
4
August 2010
From the Headlines:
- Shipwreck stories in the news -
Parks Canada locates historic vessel HMS Investigator
(MERCY BAY) On July 21st Parks
Canada embarked on a 10-day
archaeological survey in Aulavik
National Park to locate the HMS
Investigator wreck and document and
map the land sites associated with
Captain Robert McClure's expedition.
Among
other
possible
remains
associated with HMS Investigator were
the graves of three sailors who died
before the crew abandoned the ship.
The first days of the project delivered a
number of findings including the
shipwreck of HMS Investigator, the
three grave sites, and new information
on the cache site.
Shipwreck Site
The shipwreck of HMS Investigator was
located
by
Parks
Canada
archaeologists in the first moments of
the search. Upon the arrival of the
project team, ice had been pushed
back inside Mercy Bay and the sidescan search had to be delayed.
Fortunately, part of the bay where the
ship had been abandoned became free
of ice and the search began. Less than
half an hour after the search was
initiated, the image of the wreck
appeared on the sonar screen. Shortly
after, the ice covered the site once
more, keeping the team from gathering
more images.
The first analysis of the side-scan
images indicate that the structure of the
ship lies on the bottom in relatively
shallow water and is in good condition
particularly considering the depth. The
bottom of the vessel appears buried in
sediment, and the structure rises to the
upper deck, but the rigging and the
bulwarks (side walls above the upper
deck) have collapsed, likely damaged
by the ice.
The next steps will be to gather more
information with the side-scan sonar to
understand the extent of the site and
the debris field, and to document the
wreck with a remotely-operated vehicle
(ROV), a small submersible robot
equipped with cameras. Parks Canada
archaeologists will try to evaluate what
is left of the wreck, how well it is
preserved,
and
what
are
the
environmental conditions impacting the
wreck.
The Grave Sites
Three grave sites have been located by
archaeologists from Parks Canada and
the University of Western Ontario using
a magnetometer that detects the
presence of metal below the surface.
The strong magnetometer targets are
associated with three earth mounts that
correspond well in their shape to
burials. The location of the sites is
consistent with historical accounts. A
new translation of one document by
Hans Roman of Memorial University
from the original German text proved to
be significant in the search strategy.
The graves are located approximately
60 metres from a large coal mound
associated with the site. They are the
resting place of the three sailors (two
able seamen and the gunner's mate)
who all died of scurvy in Mercy Bay in
April of 1853. These graves are the
final resting place of men who lost their
live looking for the North-West
Passage.
Excerpted from the Parks Canada website:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/culture/expeditions/inves
tigator/complement-backgrounder.aspx
SOS Newsletter
5
Peterborough's mystery ship
Skeletal remains of 75-ft long vessel found at bottom of Little Lake
(PETERBOROUGH) Dennis CarterEdwards has a mystery to solve.
The skeleton of a large vessel has
been discovered at the bottom of Little
Lake.
He is dubbing this archeological find
"Peterborough's mystery ship."
"It's a pretty substantial artifact," says
Mr. Carter-Edwards, cultural resource
specialist for Parks Canada.
This ship was discovered after the
waters of Little Lake and the Otonabee
River to Lakefield were lowered by
approximately two-and-a-half metres to
complete repair work on the dam at
Scott's Mills, Lock 19 in Peterborough.
The work began on Nov. 20 and on
Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 2) the
water was beginning to rise back to its
normal level.
Mr. Carter-Edwards says the remains
of the ship, approximately 75 feet long,
were brought to the attention of Parks
Canada staff by someone who was
walking along the shoreline near
Beavermead Park.
Filippo Ronca (left) and Charles Dagneau
(right), underwater archaeologists with
Parks Canada, investigate the shipwreck
with Dennis Carter-Edwards (in back), a
cultural resource specialist, also with Parks
Canada.
(Photo: Lance Anderson)
6
August 2010
If he had to make a guess, Mr. CarterEdwards thinks the vessel is one of two
steamers: either the steamer Esturion,
flagship of the Trent Valley Navigation
Company, or another steamer called
the Water Lily, which also traveled the
Trent-Severn Waterway in its early
days.
Mr. Carter-Edwards is deriving his
guess from information cited in a book
called "Steamboating on the TrentSevern" written by well-known author
and historian Richard Tatley. In this
book, Mr. Tatley discusses the life of
the Esturion, which frequently traveled
between Bobcaygeon and Lindsay. In
1888 the ship hosted future Canadian
prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier and
his wife on an informal cruise and that
October hosted Governor-General Lord
Stanley when it left its usual route and
ventured to Lakefield where the captain
of the ship, Captain Lane, was
presented with a special flag.
The Esturion was also credited with
"rescuing drifting scows or stranded
yachts."
In 1894 the ship was wired for electric
lighting and given a "powerful"
searchlight.
According to Mr. Tatley's book, on July
22, 1914, at the end of a steam boating
season, the Esturion was sunk at its
moorings near Ashburnham wharf. It
was raised briefly to salvage the
engines "while the hull was left to rot in
Little Lake."
Around 1919 the Esturion had company
when the Water Lily was also "brought
down to the lake to die."
Now that the vessel has been
discovered, Mr. Carter-Edwards says
they will collect and document as much
information as possible before the
water levels are back to normal.
"It's so close to the shoreline," he
notes.
Filippo Ronca and Charles Dagneau,
underwater archeologists for Parks
Canada, were called to the site
Wednesday to document the finding.
Mr. Ronca now works in Ottawa, but he
was born and raised in Peterborough
and spent many days as a child
swimming in Little Lake.
"I probably swam over this wreck as a
kid," he says.
"I think it's quite exciting to have a
shipwreck right next to the TrentSevern Waterway headquarters."
Mr. Ronca says they have been
working for the past decade using hightech
equipment
to
document
underwater cultural resources along the
Trent-Severn Waterway.
"We have some historical accounts of
some vessels that were sunk here on
purpose," says Mr. Ronca.
The documentation included taking
measurements
of
the
remains,
examining what kind of fasteners were
used and taking samples of wood,
which will be sent away for analysis.
"What we're seeing here is the very
bottom of the vessel," he notes.
Mr. Ronca says a lot of material was
stripped off the vessel, which means it
was likely sunk on purpose.
He says based on the measurements
of the vessel, it's unlikely that it was the
Esturion or Water Lily.
Once Mr. Ronca and Mr. Dagneau
have documented the information, they
will pass it along to Mr. CarterEdwards, who is responsible for
managing cultural resources.
Mr. Carter-Edwards says the ship will
likely remain where it is. He notes it is a
cultural artifact and raising it out of the
mud will likely do more damage than
leaving it in place.
Until the water covers it up again, Mr.
Carter-Edwards is asking the public to
treat the artifact with respect.
Both Mr. Ronca and Mr. CarterEdwards agree that this ship's history
might never be known.
"At this point it's still a mystery ship,"
says Mr. Carter-Edwards.
Possible identities...
The Water Lily
The Esturion, sunk in 1914
(Photo courtesy of Mrs. Ron Lee)
(Photo from Public Archives of Canada)
Reprinted from MyKawartha.com – Article written b y Lauren Gilchrist, Dec. 3, 2009
SOS Newsletter
7
The Ottawa chapter of Save Ontario Shipwrecks
and
The Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinalare
are proud to present you the commemorative land plaque of the
Weehawk
By: Luc Lafontaine, SOS Ottawa Chapter Chair
On Wednesday August 25th 2010, members of the Ottawa chapter with the
collaboration of the township of Edwardsburg-Cardinal erected the
commemorative and historical land plaque of the Weehawk at the Gallop
Canal rd in Cardinal, Ontario. The event marked the end of the multi-year
project for the Ottawa chapter.
The unveiling event was a great success with over 40 people in attendance
including local business, the mayor & councillors of the township, local press,
scuba charter operators, dive shop owners, divers from dive clubs and also
%&"&
members of S.O.S. !"#$
Form Ottawa, Brockville and Kingston %&"&
where represented
at the event.
8
August 2010
Unveiling the plaque. Left to right are: Mayor Larry Dishaw,
Luc Lafontaine (SOS Ottawa Chapter Chair), Patrick Sayeau
(Township Councillor) and Brian Prince (SOS Past President and
Eastern Region Rep)
This latest addition to our existing land plaques in the eastern area ( Red Pine
Bay, Conestoga and Rothesay ) will help us to promote our marine heritage
and educate tourists and divers about the interesting history of this wreck.
On top of making a financial contribution for the creation of the land plaque,
the Township also invested in improvements for the site that will be enjoyed by
locals, tourists and divers. The improvements include the addition of the
changing facilities with a porta-potty, picnic tables and maintenance of a clear
path to the wreck for divers.
The Township also produced '()"*'
t-shirt to mark the occasion. The t-shirts will be
available soon on the Quartermaster's Store on the SOS web site, and also
available at the Lion's club in Cardinal, located near the site of the Conestoga.
It is both remarkable and impressive, all the efforts that the Township has made
to make this a wonderful site for all to enjoy. The Ottawa chapter would like to
invite all to come and visit Cardinal and the historical the land plaque.
After the unveiling of the land plaque, scuba divers were invited to join
members of the Ottawa chapter to dive the site. It was a pleasant day for the
event.
SOS Newsletter
9
Special thanks to the following:
Members of SOS
> Gordon Dewis (Previous Ottawa Chapter Chair) for
providing me with the opportunity to work on this
challenging but rewarding project.
> Brian Prince and Nancy Binnie for the initial research.
> Trista Lauzon for the bulk of the research at the archives.
> Frédéric Tremblay, Jérôme Devost and Christopher
Holloway for participating in the review of the content
of the land plaque.
> Murray Hollis for taking the wonderful pictures during
the event.
> Nathalie Lasselin for takin the underwater picture used
on the plaque, and takingthe lead for the survey.
From the Township of Edwardsburg-Cardinal
> Larry Dishaw, Patrick Sayeau, Debra McKinstry, Mike
Spencer (and staff) for their contribution and support
during the project.
Doug Grant for the wonderful design.
Bernand Sauvé and and staff of Système Huntingdon for the production of the
plaque.
Gloria McCormick for giving us permission to use Dan McCormick's picture on
the plaque.
And finally, all that attended the event your support helped making it a great
success.
I am truly proud of our achievement and for the opportunity to have worked on
this wonderful project and hope that you will enjoy the commemorative land
plaque and the heritage site.
For the full story of the Weehawk,
please visit the SOS Ottawa website:
http://ottawa.saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca/proj_weehawk.php
10
August 2010
Junior Shipwreck Protector – Connor Ross
By: Krissy Nickle,
SOS Huron Shores Chapter Chair
I had the pleasure today of meeting a very passionate young man named
Connor Ross, who was seeking my advice on how to best protect several
pieces of shipwreck debris he had discovered washed up on a local beach.
Connor had been directed to me by an employee of the local museum where
he had taken the pieces, hoping to donate them so they could be properly
cared for. The museum informed him that they were unequipped to deal
with this type of conservation, so he contacted me to see if I could help him
figure out what to do with the wreckage. He was very concerned to do what
was best for the pieces, and also very eager that other people should be able
to enjoy them. I wish more of the public was as interested and willing to get
involved as Connor. Oh, did I mention he's six years old?
I met Connor (and his dad Cary) at his grandparents' cottage outside
Goderich, ON, near where he found the shipwreck debris. We talked about
where he found the pieces (on the beach north of Goderich), what made him
think they were parts of a shipwreck (their shape and the big metal bolts
sticking out of the wood) and why he brought them home (to give them to
the museum so they wouldn't be burned in a bonfire [like other pieces from
the same beach] and so that they could be preserved and people could look
at them).
Connor was very understanding, if a little disappointed, when I told him that
the best place for his shipwreck pieces was back in the lake. I explained how
water-logged wood deteriorates once it is removed from the water, and that
the conservation of shipwrecks and artifacts that have been taken out of
their wet environment is a very expensive and lengthy process. I mentioned
SOS Newsletter
11
some examples from around the world, and imagine my surprise when
Connor told me he already knew about the Vasa in Sweden! Connor and his
dad agreed that the best place to look at shipwrecks was in the water, and as
I was leaving, they were making plans to go snorkelling to see some of the
larger pieces of wreckage that lie just off the shore in Goderich.
It is kids like Connor who are the future of SOS and of marine heritage
preservation, and so on belhalf of SOS Huron Shores Chapter, I was very
pleased to present Connor with a certificate declaring him to be a “Junior
Shipwreck Protector”. I think we should all encourage our young people as
much as possible to take an interest in the history and archaeological sites to
be found in our Great Lakes, and Connor helped me see that even if they're
too young to scuba dive, kids can have a suprising understanding of the
importance of our marine heritage resources.
Connor Ross, Junior Shipwreck Protector, displaying the
shipwreck debris he found on the beach near Goderich.
(Photo: Krissy Nickle)
12
August 2010
2010 SOS Board and Committee Representatives
President
Board Director
Vice President
Board Director
Public Relations Officer
Michael Hill
48 Fairway Hill Crescent
Kingston, ON K7M 2B4
(613) 767-7446
president@saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca
Western Region Representative
Newsletter Editor, Facebook Admin
SOS Huron Shores Chairperson
Krissy Nickle
2 White Court, PO Box 1083
St. Marys, ON N4X 1B7
(519) 671-2472
krissy@nickle.ca
Secretary
Ethics Chairperson
SOS Toronto Chairperson
Jonathan Ferguson
158 Quebec Avenue
Toronto, ON M6P 2T8
(416) 536-1247
jonathanferguson@hotmail.com
Treasurer
Central Region Representative
OUC Insurance Chairperson
David Taylor
15 Dalewood Crescent
Hamilton, ON L8S 4B5
taylordw@mcmaster.ca
SOS Senior Tutor
Chris Phinney
109 Cleghorn Drive
Binbrook, ON L0R 1C0
(289) 286-0375
training@saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca
Past President
Eastern Region Representative, Webmaster
Brian Prince
137 King Street East
Brockville, ON K6V 1C1
(613) 342-3900
webmaster@saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca
Board Director
Bryan Thomas
614 Wellington Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 2X5
trainer@scubajunkies.ca
(416) 504-2238
Membership Director
(905) 526-9026
Bernie Roy
18 Ada Crescent, RR#2
Tobermory, ON N0H 2R0
(519) 596-2607
membership@saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca
SOS Hamilton Chairperson
Paul Chapple
306-35 Mountain Avenue South
Stoney Creek, ON L8G 2V7 (905) 865-7379
chapplep@hotmail.com
SOS Manitoulin Chairperson
Northern Region Representative
Jim Hopkins
38 Shamess Street
Espanloa, ON P5E 1B9
(705) 869-3532
jjhop@onlink.net
SOS Ottawa Chairperson
Luc Lafontaine
1571 Prestwick Drive
Ottawa, ON K1E 2E6
chapplep@hotmail.com
SOS Port Dover Chairperson
Jim Murphy
PO Box 299
Port Dover, ON N0A 1N0
murphybuck001@sympatico.ca
SOS Quebec Chairperson
Nathalie Lasselin
6380 de Bordeaux
Montreal, QC H2G 2R8
sosQuebec@pixnat.com
(613) 288-4181
(519) 583-2884
(514) 276-9020
SOS Sarnia Chairperson
Position Vacant
Contact Mike Hill
(613) 767-7446
president@saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca
SOS Thousand Islands Chairperson
Tom Wilson
2549 Old Red Road, RR#3
Brockville, ON K6V 5T3
(613) 345-4145
tomcwilson@gmail.com
SOS Windsor Chairperson
Roy Pickering
1230 Mariners Road, PO Box 39
Erieau, ON N0P 1N0
(519) 676-2136
rjequip@on.aibn.com
Contents
View from the Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Board Elections at AGM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
From the Headlines:
Shipwreck stories in the news. . . . . . . . . . 5
Weehawk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Junior Shipwreck Protector
- Connor Ross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1