Ocean Equipment@RockPortDiveCentre.com
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Wrecks of the St. Lawrence |
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The America - is located between Brockville and Mallorytown, Ontario. It is an advanced dive at a depth of 78feet. It is in the busy shipping channel near the international boundary, making it dangerous for divers and boaters. It was sunk on June 20, 1932 from an explosion on board and now lies upside-down. At 55' you can view the twin propellers and the twin rudders. Experienced divers can explore underneath the wreck and see winches, a brick oven or kiln, and wire rigging. There is also a small wooden barge off to the stern which accompanied her. |
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Henry C. Daryaw - This 219 ft. x 35 ft. x 13 ft. steel freighter built in France in 1919 suffered an unforgiving gash on her starboard side running over a shoal. The bow area has a number of items of interest to divers and many enjoy a visit up to the keel of the Daryawand do a "keel walk". This area lets you view the gash in her bottom that sent her to her fate. Located upstream from the Brockville "narrows", the Daryaw rests upside down at a depth of 95 ft. with a very quick surface current.Divers are continually impressed with the large twin props and rudder that meet them as they descend the buoy line. |
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The Islander - This side-wheel steamship is located in Alexandria Bay, NY . The Islanders jobs before her sinking was serving as a mail carrier and then taking people on river boat tours. On September 16, 1909 while at dock the Islander caught fire and burned sending her to the bottom. The wreck can be reached in 15 ft to a maximum of 75 |
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Roy A. Jodrey
- This wreck is in deep, dark and fast moving water
and is accessible only to highly trained divers. This relatively modern
steel freighter (over 700 ft. long) belonging to the Algoma Steel Ore
Company was lost Nov. 20, 1972, after striking a shoal off Alexandria Bay,
NY. This site is located on the south shoreline of Wellesley Island at the
Coast Guard Station where she sits with her bow at 150 ft. and her stern
in 242 ft. of water more depth beyond that. |
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The Keystorm - Built in 1908 in Wellsend, England this 2300 ton steamer called "Keystone", (256 ft. x43 ft.) was carrying a cargo of 2230 tons of Bituminous coal from Genesee Dock at Charlotte N.Y. under the command of Capt. L Daigault. Forty five minutes past Alexandria Bay in dense fog on Oct. 12, 1912 she crossed over Outer Scow island Shoal and within minutes sank without a fatality. One of Ontario's premier wrecks and favorite of many divers, this steel freighter lies south of the shipping channel off Mallorytown Landing west of Brockville. The Keystorm sits in deeper water away from the shoal she hit. |
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The Lillie ParsonsA 2 masted "Fore and Aft" rigged Great Lakes centerboard schooner built in Tonawanda N.Y. in 1868 and launched on September 14 of that year, she is 131 feet long (40.3m), with a 500-ton (455-tonne) capacity in a 10-foot (3m) hold. She regularly carried coal, lumber, wheat, barley, railroad iron, and salt, and was sailed by a crew of six. On August 5, 1877 she was sailing with 500 tons of coal destined for Brockville when her cargo shifted during a sudden squall, slamming her against a shoal off the upstream/channel side of Sparrow Island which caused her take water, capsize and sink. The "Lillie" is one of region's most famous wrecks. Accessing the site from the corner of Sparrow Island at the anchor on shore, one can follow the chain to the bow or swim into the current and down the island contour to follow the island profile upstream to the rudder. The large rudder sits upstream with her broad square stern resting on the rock ledges that support her. The masts jutt from beneath her, as she rests upside down, and run out into the channel. The vessel's bottom shows the drop center board secured in the casing midship. Divers should be prepare for strong currents, and are advised to bring lights to see under the wreck. |
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A. E. Vickery - This wooden three masted schooner (136.2 ft. x 26.2 ft. x 10.8 ft.) was built in 1861, and launched July 1861 at Three Mile Bay, NY as "J.B. Penfield". She was renamed A.E. Vickery Feb. 25, 1884 and sank August 17, 1889 when she struck a shoal while entering the "American Narrows" with a cargo of 21,000 bushels of corn destined for Wisers Distillery at Prescott, Ontario. The Vickery is located along side Rock Island Reef Light, where divers can follow a buoy line into a very quick surface current onto the shoal head in 25-30 ft. of water. The bow of the Vickery lies about 15 ft. off the shoal at a depth of 65 feet. The stern end of the Vikory hangs out over a ledge which drops to 110' with its wooden rudder intact. The broken masts on the Vickery can be followed out into the channel to a depth of 180'. This dive site has a strong surface current, with a mild current on the wreck itself. |
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The Oconto - Located across the channel from the "A.E. Vickery". This dive site is normally accessed by anchoring in very shallow water alongside the concrete light abutment, R # 214 and following the shoal contour down where you will encounter her at a depth of 180 ft. with the stern section deeper at 200 ft. There remains a question as to whether there is one or two wrecks at this site. This site is not recommended for novice divers. You'll need deep air technical certification to dive on this wreck. |