Shipwrecks of Ottawa Walking Tour

The Speed was built in 1847 near Hull, Quebec, and was launched in 1848. It was known as the "pride of the Ottawa River," due to its extremely quick sailing speed. Originally owned by Macpherson & Crane of Montreal, it was sold in 1853 to Robertson Jones & Co, and again in 1857 to Ottawa Steamers Co.

The Speed was badly damaged by fire in 1848, near Thurso, Quebec. It was relaunched later that year, and was renamed to the Phoenix.

It collided with the Lily, a tug, in 1865, between Buckingham, Quebec and Gatineau, Quebec.

Built in 1902 by N. Sicotte in Valleyfield, Quebec, as the Salaberry, it was owned by Lehigh Portland Cement Co. in Belleville.

It was rebuilt in Deseronto, Ontario in 1910, and renamed to the Quinte Queen. In 1912 it was purchased by the Belle Isle Park Company of Ottawa, to serve as a ferry to and from Kettle Island's Belle Isle Park. It was licensed for up to 339 passengers at once. It partially sank in 1916 but was raised, and offered for sale. It received no bids, and was later stranded on the shore of Kettle Island.

M. 16. D. Presumably a tugboat, it was recorded in the 1878 Sessional Papers that it burned at the same place as the Lincoln in August of 1878.

Lincoln, 1878 This 92-foot sidewheel steamer was built in Sorel, Quebec in 1861. Built by D. & J. McCarthy, it was 92 feet long, 11 feet wide, and had a depth of 7 feet. It served as a tugboat on the lower Ottawa River before burning at its dock in New Edinburgh on March 8,1878. It was owned by the McNaughton Forwarding Company, and lost the company $12,000 when it burnt. $6,000 was covered by insurance.

Launched in 1959, the Jean Richard initially sailed on the St. Lawrence River. In the 1970s, it was brought to the Ottawa River to serve as a party cruise ship. Renamed to the "Ville de Vanier," it was a popular recreational activity that ran out of Gatineau. It was later turned into a floating cottage, and caught fire sometime in 1987. The vessel was abandoned in an inlet across from Rideau Hall. Its wooden skeleton can still be seen in person and on Google satellite, and it is a popular fishing destination.

Built in 1888 in Ottawa, ON, the Mansfield was 104 feet long. It was launched on May 25, 1889, and was owned by Pierce Mansfield. It served as a ferry, and caught fire on one of its voyages as it approached the New Edinburgh area on May 7, 1896.

The Mansfield was later found by the Underwater Diving Society of Ottawa in July 1974. It had sunk in Governor's Bay, near the Prime Minister's residence.

For a more detailed overview of both the Mansfield and Pierce Mansfield, check out Glenn Clark's "Off to Work... By Boat?" in Vol. 20, No. 2 of the 2019 edition of Historic Gloucester, by the Gloucester Historical Society.

William King, 1841 Originally known as the William Annesley, it was built in 1824 by H. Logan of Montreal, Quebec. It was renamed to the William King in 1828.

It was reported in the Montreal Herald that "[w]e are informed that a beautiful little steamboat is now building…. upon the exact model of a canoe…It is perhaps the smallest ever constructed. It is intended to ply foot passengers across the river between the usual passage roads to Laprairie and Longueuil."

The William Annesley (later King) was designed by William Annesley in pursuit of testing a new patent system that "involved no ribs and alternate layers of thin boards with oiled paper between" (Maritime History of the Great Lakes)

It was rebuilt several times, with the paddle wheels and engine removed in 1827 to allow it to serve on the Rideau Canal from 1827-1829 and later the Lachine Canal in 1830. An "additional shade deck" was added in 1829.

Its engine was later reused in the Bytown (built 1834). The William King was soon abandoned in the Ottawa area and sank. Around 1980, it was moved to the Ottawa Rowing Club to serve as a dive area known as 'Morrison's Quarry.'

Bruce, 1875 Originally named the Islander, it was built in 1846 by D. Dibble of Kelly's Island, Ohio, USA. It was 100 feet long, and 17 feet wide. The Islander was renamed to the Bruce in 1862, which is when it started serving in Canadian waters after its purchase by Van Every & Rumball of Goderick, ON. Detlor & Son bought it in 1866, D. S. Booth of Brockville in 1868, Schofield & Rochester of Ottawa in 1873, and Mr. Bourgeau of Alymer in 1874. During one of the sales it was renamed to the Seaman, but was mostly known as the Bruce for the time that it was in Canada.

It sank in 1874 in Ottawa due to being overloaded, but was raised in early July. It caught fire in 1875 near Hull, Quebec, and sank below the waters. The hull was raised in 1982 and relocated under the Ottawa Rowing Club wharf as part of 'Morrison's Quarry' by the Santa Maria Society.

The Resolute was built in 1875 by J. Bedard of Britannia, Ontario (now part of Ottawa). It originally measured 56 feet in length, 11 feet in width, and six feet in depth. The Resolute was bought by A. G. Jones of Ottawa in 1877, and later sold to the Union Forwarding Company (also of Ottawa) in 1879. It was sold again to W. McCaffrey of Ottawa in 1886.

The Resolute sank once near Quyon in 1880 but was raised. It was later destroyed by fire on July 29, 1890, near the foot of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

A 139-foot sidewheel steamer,  its claim to fame was carrying Prince Albert on his visit down the Ottawa River. It was also the subject of a recent investigation into its final resting place by local author Andrew King and blogger Mike Kaulbars.

Check out these links to learn more about their search and how they determined the Ann Sisson was residing in Britannia Bay. You can also retrace their steps and find the wreck on Google Earth.

• https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/king-on-the-hunt-for-a-shipwreck-here-in-ottawa#click=https://t.co/YTzylE5J0m
• https://britanniaottawa.wordpress.com/2017/01/22/where-is-the-ann-sisson/
• https://britanniaottawa.wordpress.com/2018/02/18/no-really-its-the-ann-sisson/
• https://britanniaottawa.wordpress.com/2018/11/14/the-ann-sisson-redux-the-mysteries/

According to the Underwater Diving Society of Ottawa and Scubapedia, there are two ships resting near the base of the Rideau Canal, Locks 1-8. They've identified them as the Otter and the Minie. The Otter makes sense, as it was recorded as having burned and sank near the canal. However, the Minie (also known as the Minnie Bell or the Alva), is officially recorded as having been retired. There is no record of a final accident near the canal, and so this may be another barge.

If it is the Minnie: The Minnie Bell was built in 1887 by Bedard of Ottawa, Ontario. It was 50 feet long and 13 feet wide, and owned by H. E. Shaver of Ottawa. It frequently delivered lumber to New York, bringing back foundry sand and coal.

The Minnie Bell was involved in several accidents over the years, including a train crash and a fire. For a more detailed account, please read this excellent paper by Paul Harrison for the Workers History Museum: https://workershistorymuseum.ca/the-career-of-a-rideau-canal-tug/.

The fire lead to the renaming of the Minnie Bell to the Alva in 1902, named after the deceased son of the Shavers (the owners of the boat). It was sold to new owners by 1910, who sold it again in 1917 to the Dominion Government for use as a dredge tug for the Public Works Department. Records say the Alva was retired, and there is no record of it sinking near the canal.

If the wreck is not the Minnie, then it's hard to say which vessel it is. The New Mills List, a compilation of steamer records from 1809-1930 by John M. Mills, lists many tugboats and barges from the Ottawa area whose ends were not recorded. It is entirely possible that it may be one of them, or that the Minnie Bell's end has been improperly recorded.

Otter, 1870 Built in 1840 near Portsmouth, Ontario, it was used on the Montreal-Ottawa-Kingston triangle. According to the 1846 Bytown Packet, the Otter was known as "a small uncomfortable light boat." It changed ownership several times, going through four owners in its thirty-year span as a tugboat on the Ottawa River. The Otter caught fire and sank at the base of the Rideau Canal near Parliament Hill, on November 5, 1870. It is possible to dive, though there is poor visibility.

Built in 1833 at Aylmer, Quebec, the Lady Colborne was mainly used between Aylmer and Fitzroy Harbour, with stops at March, Torbolton, Eardley, and Onslow stations. The Lady Colbourne departed from Aylmer at 6am on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and departed from Fitzroy Harbour at 1pm those same days. It engine came from the steamer Montreal, built 1819.

In 1845, the Lady Colborne caught fire at the Alymer wharf. To avoid setting the town on fire, it was set adrift into Lac Deschenes and floated into Britannia Bay, where it later sank.

The Symmes Inn Museum in Aylmer, Quebec has a spike and plank from the Lady Colborne, recovered by the Underwater Society of Ottawa in 1964.

The Kichesippi Beer Co. has a beer named after the Lady Colbourne, calling it the 'first steamboat on the Ottawa River' (which is incorrect - that honour goes to the Union, built 1823).