The John B. King, also known as No. 36 or J.B. King, was a drill scow that met with a tragic fate on June 26, 1930. It was located in the St. Lawrence River, specifically in the Brockville narrows off Cockburn Island, with coordinates 44.56283°N 75.71179°W. The vessel, owned by John B. King & Co., was primarily engaged in drilling operations to deepen and widen the river channel under a contract issued by the Department of Public Works.
On that fateful day, the drill boat was loaded with dynamite charges placed in the shoal beneath and around it. A thunderstorm passed through the area, and lightning struck the vessel. The lightning traveled down the drills and wires, setting off the dynamite charges and causing a massive explosion. Witnesses described seeing a flash of lightning followed immediately by the explosion. The drill boat was completely destroyed, leaving only smoke rising from the water. The exact builder and master of the vessel remain unknown.
Tragically, out of the crew of 41-43 individuals on board, only 11 survived along with one dog named Hero. The survivors were rescued by the U.S. Revenue Cutter “Succor” (CG 211), which happened to be conducting an inspection of the river half a mile away. The remaining 30 crew members, including Hero, perished in the explosion.
The J.B. King was a significant vessel in Canada at the time, boasting 12 drills and being the largest drilling barge in the country. In memory of the lives lost in the disaster, a memorial monument was erected by the Canada Department of Public Works in 1930 on the northwest corner of Cockburn Island.
The wreck of the J.B. King was located near Thousand Islands, Ontario, in the St. Lawrence River. It was a wooden vessel registered under the name J.B. King & Co. No. 36 in the port of Windsor, Nova Scotia. The ship was built in Mariners Harbour, New York, in 1917. It had a gross tonnage of 708.28 and a net tonnage of 684.14. The ship was completely wrecked on June 26, 1930, due to an explosion caused by dynamite blasting during drilling operations. The Certificate of Registration was lost with the vessel.
The tragedy received extensive coverage in newspapers at the time. The lightning strike and subsequent explosion resulted in the immediate death or drowning of 30 crew members, with only 11 survivors. Witnesses described the tremendous force of the blast, which sent debris flying 200 feet into the air. The American vessel CGQ-II, situated nearby, witnessed the event and promptly assisted in rescuing survivors. The bodies of the deceased crew members were not immediately recovered, and a search for the missing bodies continued for several days.
One notable victim of the tragedy was Hero, a dog that had previously saved a crew member named Jack Wylie from drowning. Hero became famous for his heroism and was awarded the Dog Hero medal. Unfortunately, both Hero and Wylie were on board the J.B. King during the explosion and were presumed dead.
Efforts were made to salvage the wreck and recover the bodies. Divers and derricks were deployed to raise the boilers and machinery of the drill barge, but the twisted and tangled wreckage posed significant challenges. Despite extensive search and recovery operations, only 13 bodies were found, leaving 17 crew members unaccounted for. Eventually, the search was called off, and it was concluded that the remaining bodies were unlikely to be recovered.
The tragic incident left a lasting impact on the community, and there were suggestions to mark the site of the disaster with a memorial.
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