The Waubuno, a side-wheel paddle steamer, met a tragic fate on November 22, 1879, during a storm in Georgian Bay. Loaded with supplies destined for Parry Sound, the ship was attempting to make its last voyage before the ice made further trips impossible until the following Spring. The ship had been trying to leave Collingwood since November 18, but adverse weather conditions, including snow and fierce winds, had kept it in port.
Finally, on November 21, during a break in the weather, the Waubuno set sail with 24 crew members and passengers on board. The ship was last spotted afloat by the lighthouse keeper at Christian Island, who observed that it was faring well. The Steamer Magnettawan also left Collingwood on the same morning as the Waubuno, but it arrived at Parry Sound on November 24 without having sighted the other ship.
Concerned by the Waubuno’s failure to reach its destination, the tug Millie Grew was dispatched to search for the paddle steamer. The Millie Grew returned with distressing news, reporting that they had found a portion of the wreck. However, they could not find any trace of the crew, and no bodies were ever recovered. Among the items retrieved were a metallic lifeboat turned bottom up and damaged, a life-preserver bearing the ship’s name, furniture from the cabin, the ship’s ledger, and part of the paddle box with the letters “W.A.” on it. Barrels of apples, flour, and various other freight items were scattered along the shore.
In the spring of 1880, an upturned hull was discovered on Moberly Island, which was identified as the remains of the lost ship. Later that summer, a tug was employed to turn the hull over, allowing investigators to examine why the ship sank. Rumors had circulated that the wooden superstructure of the Waubuno was rotten, or that its boilers had exploded, leading to the disaster. However, the examination found that the remaining timbers were sound, and there was no evidence of internal explosion damage.
Over the years, other parts of the Waubuno’s wreckage have been recovered. A hull, believed to be that of the Waubuno, lies in waters 15 feet (4.5 meters) deep near Wreck Island, though there is some dispute about its identification. The rudder of the ship is on display at Midland Ontario’s Huronia Museum, and its anchor was recovered in 1959.
The loss of the Waubuno was a tragic event that left no survivors and left many questions unanswered. The exact cause of the ship’s sinking remains uncertain, but the ship has become part of maritime history, and its wreckage continues to be a subject of interest for divers and historians alike.
