The schooner Grantham was built in 1873 at Port Robinson, Ontario. It was constructed with wood and had a single deck. The builder responsible for its creation was J. Abbey. The original owner of the vessel was Thomas L. Helliwell and others from St. Catharines, Ontario, and later ownership was transferred to Louise L. Chisholm and William R. Chisholm.
Equipped with three masts, the Grantham had a length of 140 feet, a beam of 23.7 feet, and a depth of 11.7 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 400 and a net tonnage of 384. The vessel had a capacity of 20,000 bushels and was primarily used for transporting goods.
Sadly, the Grantham met its final fate on July 6, 1913, off Salmon River in the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. It sank while lightening the stranded Canadian steamer A.E. Ames, carrying a cargo of coal at the time.
Throughout its history, the Grantham was involved in various activities and incidents. In October 1875, it transported 21,600 bushels of corn to Kingston, Ontario. In May 1876, the vessel carried 300,000 feet of lumber from Muskegon, Michigan, to Montreal, Quebec. By 1876, its gross tonnage had increased to 347 tons.
In August 1879, the Grantham underwent alterations and had new dimensions of 140 feet in length, 26 feet in beam, and 12 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 342.78 and a net tonnage of 324.8.
Over the years, the vessel was towed by other ships such as Myles and Celtic in 1886. It also encountered instances of running ashore, such as near Nine Mile Point near Kingston in May 1890. Repairs were carried out in Kingston in September 1891 after another ashore incident. In May 1896, the Grantham ran aground again in Kingston but was successfully released.
By July 6, 1913, the Grantham had changed ownership to the Donnelly Wrecking Company. It wrecked in Lake Ontario off Salmon Point, resulting in its total loss. The vessel had served as a schooner and later as a steam barge before its demise. The Grantham’s sinking occurred while it was providing assistance to the coal-laden steamer A.E. Ames.
