ROBERVAL C125972

The vessel named ROBERVAL was registered on August 27, 1907, with the official number 125972. It was initially registered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, under the ownership of La Cie. du Nord. The ROBERVAL was built by Polson Iron Work’s Limited in Toronto in 1907, with dimensions of 128.00 feet in length, 24.00 feet in beam, and a gross tonnage of 343.53 and net tonnage of 157.00. It was a decked, carvel-type, steel cargo vessel with an elliptic stern, no gallery, and a plain stem. The vessel was powered by a single, fore and aft compound steam engine, 12-26 x 18, with a horsepower of 7.30 N.H.P. and 75.00 I.H.P. It had one mast and no rigging.

In 1909, ownership of the ROBERVAL was transferred to Hall & Eligh Ltd., and in 1910 and 1916, the vessel was owned by them. The registration for the ROBERVAL was closed on December 5, 1907, in Montreal, Quebec, due to a transfer. According to the Mills List, the ROBERVAL sank on September 26, 1916, near Oswego, New York, with two crew members killed.

The ROBERVAL had a crew consisting of 21-year-old Marcel Messenau, 23-year-old Henry Seguin, and 26-year-old Theodore LeRoy, who were friends with Chief Engineer Philip Trottier. They boarded the vessel in 1916, seeking job security during uncertain times. The Canadian economy was affected by a recession, and World War I had involved Canada. Working on the ROBERVAL provided stability for the young men. Messenau and Seguin worked in the engine room under Chief Trottier’s supervision, while LeRoy worked as a deckhand.

Delia Parent, a 30-year-old woman from Ottawa, also joined the crew as the cook. She was a friend of Captain Peter Eligh’s family. It is unclear why she took the position, but it possibly provided her with an opportunity for independence and a steady income.

On September 26, 1916, the ROBERVAL encountered a violent storm on Lake Ontario. The vessel was loaded with lumber for the Diamond Match Co. and was hit by heavy seas, causing the deck load to shift and the ship to list. The pounding waves damaged the cabins, and the steamer began to sink. Captain Eligh ordered the launch of a lifeboat, but it was torn away by the storm. Chief Engineer Philip Trotier, Second Engineer Oliver Sequin, and Second Mate Edmond Legault were thrown into the water but managed to stay afloat by holding onto lumber pieces until they reached the lifeboat. Two other crew members, Henry Sequin and Theodore Leroy, were washed overboard with a deck load of lumber and went missing.

Four crew members, including Captain Eligh, Delia Parent, Joseph Parisien (mate), and Marcel Semonnaiu (fireman), were separated from the others and constructed a raft from remaining lumber on the deck. They drifted until they were rescued by guards from the Big Sandy life-saving station, located thirty miles northeast of Oswego.

Despite search efforts, no trace of the ROBERVAL or the missing crew members was found. The failure to locate any wreckage led marine experts to believe that the vessel had sunk.

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