GLADSTONE U86996

Gladstone, which lies in strong current just offshore from Canatara Park. Built in 1888, the 283-foot wooden cargo ship was intentionally sunk in 1923 to provide the foundation for a loading dock that later burned down. Drone photo, courtesy of David Cooke, inskyphoto.com

Bulk Carrier
10 – 20ffw
290ft length
Canatara Park, St. Clair River

The Gladstone, a wooden cargo bulk carrier, was constructed in 1888 by W. Radcliffe, an American shipbuilder in Cleveland. With a tonnage of 2,112 tons, the vessel measured 283 feet in length and had a beam of 40 feet. Its primary role was transporting iron ore and other materials across the Great Lakes, representing an earlier version of the lake freighters that continue to operate in these waters today.

In 1918, while the Gladstone was moored for the winter in Pine River, Michigan, on Lake St. Clair, disaster struck when an ice jam crushed its hull, rendering the ship unseaworthy. The wreck was subsequently purchased by C. Peel of Chatham, Ontario. In 1923, the vessel was brought to Sarnia to serve as a breakwater, providing stability and protection to the surrounding area.

The identification of the wreck lying off Canatara Park beach as the Gladstone is confirmed by the online “Great Lakes Shipwreck File.” During a period when water levels in the Great Lakes were exceptionally low a few years ago, parts of the wreck were exposed, posing a temporary hazard for small boats navigating the area.

According to the David Swayze Shipwreck File, the Gladstone is recorded with official number 85996. It was a propeller-driven, wooden bulk freight vessel with specifications of 283 feet in length, 40 feet in beam, a depth of 22 feet, and a gross tonnage of 2,112. The loss of the Gladstone occurred in December 1918 when its hull was crushed by an ice jam in Pine River, St. Clair, Michigan. Fortunately, there was no loss of life associated with the incident. Subsequently, the wreck was purchased by C. Peel of Chatham, Ontario, who repurposed it as a breakwater in Sarnia in December 1923. The wreck was eventually removed from its location in Sarnia.