Other Names
- JACK
The Bothnia, originally known as the Jack, was built in 1895 as a steambarge in Garden Island, Ontario. Constructed by the Calvin Company, the vessel had a wooden hull, partially made of tamarack, and featured a single deck. Its initial owner was also the Calvin Company, based in Garden Island.
Powered by a steeple compound engine with two cylinders, the Bothnia had a 13 & 36 x 30″ engine providing 460 horsepower at 100 rpm. The engine was built by Oils & Co. in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 1870 and was later rebuilt in 1895. The vessel was equipped with two 6 x 11.5′ water tube boilers. Interestingly, the engine originated from the old merchant liner Scotia.
The dimensions of the Bothnia were 178 feet in length, 38 feet in beam, and 13 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 833 and a net tonnage of 478.
The vessel’s history involved several noteworthy incidents. In an event that led to significant consequences, the Jack collided with the steamer Norman off Alpena, Michigan, in Lake Huron on May 30, 1895, causing the NORMAN to sink. However, the Jack was eventually released from any legal repercussions resulting from the collision.
Following this incident, the Jack underwent a change of name and was renamed the Bothnia. Ownership of the vessel shifted over the years, with the Pennsylvania Coal Company and later the Montreal Transportation Company taking possession.
By October 1910, the Bothnia was reportedly owned by Captain Loonan from Collingwood, Ontario, and operated in the lumber trade in Georgian Bay.
However, tragedy struck the Bothnia once again on June 26, 1912, when it collided with the steel steamer S.S. Curry in the St. Clair Flats, located in Lake St. Clair. As a result of the collision, the Bothnia sank near Star Island House, with one life lost in the accident.
This final collision brought the Bothnia’s eventful journey to an end. It came to rest under 50 feet of water in the St. Clair Flats, not far from the location where it had been seized by marshals years before.
