JUNO C90771

Site Description #

• Steamer
• 10ffw 3 m
• 140ft Length
• Bowmanville, Lake Ontario

The Juno, a wooden steam barge, was built in Wallaceburg, Ontario, in 1885. It had a raised forecastle and poop, and its construction was overseen by McDonald (McDonnell). The original owner of the vessel was William Allen from Walkerville, Windsor, Ontario. The Juno was registered under the Canadian registry number 90771 and had a port of registry in Windsor. It was a propeller-driven vessel with a gross tonnage of 209.5 tons and a net tonnage of 130.31 tons. The steam barge measured 114 feet in length, 26.8 feet in beam, and had a depth of 8.3 feet.

The Juno was powered by a steeple compound engine with two cylinders and a single screw propeller. The engine, manufactured by Kerr Brothers Iron Works in Walkerville, Ontario, had dimensions of 15 + 24.5 x 30 inches and produced 175 horsepower at 85 revolutions per minute. The vessel was equipped with a firebox boiler, measuring 6.5 x 12.25 feet and generating 100 pounds of steam, manufactured by Stevenson in Petrolia, Ontario.

Throughout its history, the Juno served various purposes and changed ownership multiple times. In the late 1890s, it regularly towed the barge Sligo and occasionally the Eugenia Vesta and Dispatch. In 1898, the vessel underwent a significant rebuild by Adam MacDonald in Wallaceburg, resulting in new dimensions of 139.7 x 26.8 x 8.8 feet and an increased tonnage of 288 gross tons and 196 net tons. It was then owned by W.J. Pulling & Co. of Windsor, Ontario.

Ownership of the Juno changed hands several times, with Haney & Miller of Toronto, Ontario, acquiring the vessel on February 20, 1908, and Pointe Anne Quarries Ltd. taking ownership on September 30, 1909. On November 2, 1912, tragedy struck as the Juno sprung a leak and sank near Cobourg, Ontario, in Lake Ontario. The exact details of the incident, including loss of life and cargo, are not specified in the available information.

After the sinking, the Juno was subsequently salvaged and raised in the spring of 1913. Muir Brothers in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, rebuilt the vessel and fitted it with a clamshell rig for sand dredging. It was then owned by Richlieu & Ontario Navigation Co. Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec, on February 14, 1913. Later, the ownership transferred to Canada Steamship Line on February 11, 1915.

In October 1914, the Juno was dismantled in Toronto, marking the end of its operational life. The engines were removed around 1918, and on September 29, 1920, its registry was officially closed. The ship’s final fate involved being stripped and abandoned after sustaining damage from ice in Bowmanville, Ontario, in 1914, following its salvage and towing from the Cobourg Harbour area.

Rules to Shore Dive by #

• Pick up after yourselves and others if need be
• Take only pictures, memories, and trash off the bottom
• Many shore dive sites are busiest on weekends so plan ahead
• Remember you’re the ambassador for the sport when approached by onlookers and locals. Paying attention and being polite can lead to other opportunities and locations.
• Have fun and lots of it after all that’s why you are there just like underwater beware of others around you for both positive and negative experiences
• If you’re the guy with the camera, video, or go pro, take a minute to show those outside your group what’s underneath.