Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Alexander Watson

Explore the wreck of the Alexander Watson, a wooden propeller-driven steamer lost to fire in 1871, near Walpole Island in the St. Clair River.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Alexander Watson
  • Type: Wooden propeller-driven steamer
  • Year Built: 1870
  • Builder: McDonnell, Wallaceburg, Ontario
  • Dimensions: Length: 90 ft (27.4 m); Beam: 24 ft (7.3 m); Depth of hold: 6 ft (1.8 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: 64 tons
  • Location: Near Walpole Island, St. Clair River, Ontario
  • Official Number: None (Canadian vessel)
  • Original Owners: Captain Weston & A. Watson (Wallaceburg, Ontario)

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Vessel Type: Wooden propeller-driven steamer

Description

The Alexander Watson was a small wooden propeller-driven vessel built in Wallaceburg, Ontario, in 1870. She was primarily used for transporting cordwood and other light cargo along the St. Clair River and surrounding waterways, supporting local trade and commerce.

Home Port: Wallaceburg, Ontario was a key shipbuilding and lumber trade centre, making it a logical home for a vessel carrying cordwood.

Primary Route: Operated between Wallaceburg, Lambton County, and other points along the St. Clair River. Likely supplied wood for fuel to steam-powered vessels and businesses in Ontario and Michigan.

History

The Alexander Watson was a small wooden propeller-driven vessel built in Wallaceburg, Ontario, in 1870. She was primarily used for transporting cordwood and other light cargo along the St. Clair River and surrounding waterways, supporting local trade and commerce.

Significant Incidents

Date of Loss: June 27, 1871

Location: Lambton, Ontario (Baby’s Point also mentioned), St. Clair River

Cause: Fire from an overheated boiler

Cargo at Loss: Cordwood

Loss of Life: None

Final Disposition

While traveling abreast of Lambton, the Alexander Watson’s boiler overheated, causing a fire to break out onboard. The crew managed to bring the burning vessel to the dock, where they escaped safely. However, the ship broke loose from its moorings and drifted downriver to Walpole Island, where it burned to the waterline and sank. No casualties were reported, but the vessel was a total loss.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The vessel burned completely before sinking, so wreckage is likely minimal. Remnants may be buried in the riverbed or scattered by currents. No known dives or surveys have located remains of the Alexander Watson. Future sonar scans or underwater archaeology could investigate historical shipwreck sites in the area.

Resources & Links

References are being reviewed for this wreck.

The Alexander Watson (1870) was a small but important vessel serving the cordwood trade along the St. Clair River. Her destruction by fire in 1871 underscores the dangers of early steamship operations. Though no lives were lost, the incident highlights the risks of overheating boilers and the challenges of firefighting on wooden vessels. While no known wreckage remains, the Alexander Watson’s story is a reminder of the many lost workboats that once fueled the Great Lakes economy.