FRANK C BARNES C116386

1 min read

Other Names

JC OSGOOD – 1868 Built on the Bottom
FRANK C BARNES U120894

Site Orientation

Tug Boat
Missing

History

On November 2, 1915, the tug FRANK C. BARNES encountered a tragic fate on Lake Ontario. The vessel, en route from Port Dalhousie to Montreal, foundered, resulting in the loss of the entire crew of five. The wreckage of the pilothouse was discovered offshore near Oswego. The Buffalo Daily Courier reported on July 7, 1916, that there were suspicions of the tug being in a leaky condition when it departed Toronto harbor. The investigation by Dominion Wreck Commissioner Demers in Toronto considered this theory. It was revealed that the vessel was last seen three miles southeast of Gull Pond. The body of Captain Herbert Larush, from St. Catharines, was found thirty miles from the mouth of the Niagara River.

Reports from November 1915 in the Winnipeg Free Press indicated that the FRANK C. BARNES, owned by the Canada Steamship line, was believed to have foundered in Lake Ontario. The tug, under the command of Captain S. W. LaRush, left Port Dalhousie on the night of November 1 and had not been heard from since. It was expected that the vessel would have reported its entry into the chain of canals leading to the St. Lawrence River by that time, but no communication was received. The FRANK C. BARNES had recently been acquired by the Canada Steamship lines and was on its way to Montreal for alterations. The occurrence of heavy storms on the lake after its departure raised concerns about the safety of the vessel and its crew.

The FRANK C. BARNES, had a history of ownership changes and incidents. It had an official number of US 120894 from 1892 to 1906 and a Canadian official number of 116386 from 1906 to 1915. The tug, with a tonnage of 46 gross tons, was constructed in Manistee, Michigan, in 1892 by Nelson Thorsen. It measured 66.7 feet in length, 16.3 feet in breadth, and 7.2 feet in depth. Tragically, the vessel went missing with its crew while en route from Port Dalhousie to Sorel, Quebec. Speculation arose that the tug was in a leaky condition when it departed, as it had not been officially inspected for two years. The wrecked pilot house was discovered off the shore near Oswego, and the body of Captain LaRush was recovered near Picton. The FRANK C. BARNES was built on the bottom of the J.C. OSGOOD, another tug constructed in 1863 in New Baltimore, New York.