Other Names #
- sometimes spelt ALO-HA
Site Plan #
- Schooner Barge
- 173ft 60m
- 55ft 16m Depth
- Lake Ontario, Simcoe Island
- N44 09 785 W76 34 092
History #
The schooner-barge Aloha, with an official number of 106542, was built in 1888 in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. It was constructed using wood and had a single deck. The vessel was equipped with three masts and had dimensions of 173 feet in length, 32.4 feet in beam, and 12 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 522 and a net tonnage of 501.
On October 28, 1917, the Aloha, owned by Milnes & Kerr, was being towed by the steamer C.W. Chamberlain from Erie, Pennsylvania, to Kingston with a cargo of 925 tons of coal destined for the Canadian Locomotive Works. Unfortunately, during a severe storm at around 6:30 a.m., the vessel foundered in Lake Ontario near Nine Mile Point, close to Kingston.
Captain Daniel McVicar, a resident of Deseronto, tragically drowned in the incident, while the other four crew members were saved. The rescued crew members included John Vale, the mate from Kingston; Frederick Hunt, the wheelsman from Wiarton, Ontario; Clarence Mills, the deckhand from Kingston; and C.H. Ellis, the cook from Belleville. Mills, who clung to the crosstrees for six hours, was eventually rescued by a government steamer.
According to reports from the Toronto Globe on October 29, 1917, a severe storm with hurricane-like winds from the southwest caused one of the worst gales on the lakes in years. The Aloha began taking on water and lost its lifeboat, leaving the crew unable to prevent the vessel from flooding as waves crashed over the decks. By daybreak, the barge had foundered, and the crew found themselves in the treacherous lake, wearing life preservers.
Captain McVicar and three other crew members struggled in the water as the tug Chamberlain returned to the scene and threw ropes to them. Ellis and Vale managed to catch the ropes and were pulled aboard the tug, but Captain McVicar missed the ropes twice and submerged beneath the water. Hunt climbed onto the floating cabin and was later rescued near the shore. Mills remained on the rigging of the sunken barge and could not be reached by the Chamberlain, which proceeded to Kingston, leaving him behind. Another tug, the Hall, was sent to rescue Mills but was unable to withstand the severe storm. Fortunately, the government steamer Grenville, already in port, went out and rescued Mills, who was nearly exhausted. The body of Captain McVicar was later washed ashore at Simcoe Island and recovered.
Prior to its sinking, the Aloha had been involved in other incidents. In 1892, it collided with the schooner Josephine on Lake George flats in the St. Mary’s River, causing the Josephine to sink. In the same year, coal was removed from the stranded Aloha at Sand Beach, Michigan. The vessel underwent repairs in Port Huron in September 1892. By 1902, the Aloha had been converted into a barge in Buffalo, New York. It was sold under Canadian ownership in 1914 and subsequently owned by the Midland Transportation Company in 1917. Although the hull of the vessel was eventually sold to Milnes Coal Co., it was never raised. The wreck of the Aloha was discovered in 1964.
Following the tragic event, Dr. D.E. Mundeit, the coroner who examined Captain McVicar’s body, advocated for the establishment of a life-saving station at the head of Simcoe Island, referring to the area as the “graveyard of Lake Ontario.” Multiple wrecks had
occurred in that region during the season, resulting in the loss of several lives.
