Other Names #
- AZOF
History #
The Azov, also sometimes seen as Azof, was a schooner built in 1866 by J. Simpson in Wellington Square, Ontario (now known as Burlington). It had no official number and was registered in Canada. The ship measured approximately 108 feet in length, 24 feet in width, and had a depth of 10 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 195 tons and was constructed using wood.
On October 22, 1911, the Azov encountered a storm on Lake Huron, about 15 miles off Pointe Aux Barques, Michigan. The ship sprang a leak, capsized, and foundered in the storm. Fortunately, there was no loss of life among the six crew members. They managed to escape in a boat and struggled across the lake to land near the Azov’s homeport of Goderich. The wreckage of the ship drifted ashore on the Canadian side several days later. The Azov was owned by John McDonald.
Interestingly, the Azov had a previous collision with the propeller ship Bristol and sank on Lake Ontario in July 1870.
In October 1911, prior to its loss, the Azov was loaded with deadheads (sunk logs) in Gore Bay, Manitoulin. As the storm intensified, the ship became waterlogged and was unable to be saved. The crew abandoned ship and escaped in the yawl boat, built by Captain John McDonald himself, reaching safety near Goderich. The Azov drifted north and eventually ended up on Belcher Reef, southwest of Port Elgin, where it broke apart.
Captain John McDonald, who commanded the Azov, rests in Maitland Cemetery. His tombstone features the names of six ships, including the Azov, carved around a likeness of his last command. The Azov was the last schooner to be lost on the Saugeen coast.
Overall, the Azov had a long history and met its fate in a storm on Lake Huron, but its crew managed to survive the ordeal.
