HENRY C. DARYAW C150837

Other Names #

• MARINIER
• OAKBAY

Site Description #

• Freighter
• 80ffw
• 220ft Length
• Brockville, St. Lawrence River
• N44 31 590 W75 45 814
• Moored by SOS Thousand Islands

History #

The HENRY C. DARYAW was a steel freighter with dimensions of 219.16 x 35 x 13.16 and a gross tonnage of 1265 GT. It was built in 1919 at Chantier de Normandie in Grand Quevilly, France. The ship was initially named MARINIER and later renamed OAKBAY when it was brought to Canada by the Tree Line Navigation Company. In 1935, it was purchased by Henry C. Daryaw of Kingston and renamed HENRY C. DARYAW. The vessel had a home port in Montreal, Quebec.

On November 21, 1941, tragedy struck the HENRY C. DARYAW when it ran aground in a fog on a shoal near Brockville, Ontario. The ship was en-route from Sodus, New York, to Dalhousie, New Brunswick, carrying a cargo of 1,200 tons of coal. The impact caused the ship to take on water and sink, with only a portion of its bow sticking out of the water near the shore.

Eighteen crew members were able to escape and reach the safety of the shoal and the icy waters. However, Robert Groteau, a fireman from Montebello, Quebec, was believed to have been trapped in the boiler room and drowned. Provincial police initiated efforts to recover his body. The crew rowed ashore using a salvaged lifeboat, and after everyone except Groteau had made it to safety, they hitch-hiked to Brockville.

The HENRY C. DARYAW had recently been loaned to the British Shipping Ministry and was on its way to the Atlantic coast when the accident occurred. Captain Hyacinth LaTraverse, who had been in command of the ship for only two weeks, navigated through the heavy fog but misjudged the narrow stretch of water, leading to the grounding.

Random Photos #

The ship was a total loss and sank near the Brockville Narrows. The wreck was located at Buoy Shoal #21, approximately five miles west of Brockville, with its coordinates recorded as N 44 degrees, 31 minutes, 34 seconds, and W 75 degrees, 45 minutes, 45 seconds. The hull of the ship was upside down, lying in about 80 feet of water, with a gash on its starboard side extending nearly one-third of its length

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